PressEthic

One notable upside to the populist direction news production seems to be taking is the increased potential for everyone writing, blogging, posting or commenting not to be saying the same thing. If there ever were a revalation of the poverty of references we pompous, under-read journalists use, it's this New York Observer tidbit, "Fortune: Mr. Serwer Goes to "Mr. [Something] Goes to Washington." The headline's confusing, but stick with it to find out how many copy editors made the same, sort-of-haughty, not-so-funny reference in a headline.

Does journalism, as a profession, transcend educational demographics? If it doesn't, if there's a journalist "type," will the new access non-journalists--that is, people who aren't hoping to get paid for writing news or opinion pieces--have to media mitigate some of the repetitiveness?

The print revolution changed the speed at which information could travel, and widened the spectrum of topics and viewpoints people could access. The Internet has been worshipped as yet another Prometheus. But in the midst of all the awe, one seldom hears journalists aspiring to learn new tricks of the trade from their alternatively published peers. This should start to happen. In the meantime, we'll have to see how many more Mr. So-and-Sos will be sent to Washington.