Seasoned NUblog habitués will recall the now-storied NUblog–Edelman contretemps, in which an innocent PR request ballooned, under pressure of public publication and knee-jerk sarcasm, into a minor cause célèbre for this, one of the very least important and most amateurish Weblogs.
As part of this modest celebrity (barely nipping into our 15 minutes), we were interviewed by two print newsletters serving the PR demimonde. Only one of them has bothered to give us a copy. “Free expression or journalism?” asks the headline in Interactive Public Relations (July 2001), evidently assuming the two can be exclusive. “PR pros weigh their options with the newest in online media: The ‘blog.’ ”
We were not surprised to view overregularized direct quotations (even in speech, our sentence structure is labyrinthine), and would note the following gems:
Even traditional journalists question this emerging type of online journalism. [Tautological, shurely?! – NUblog] “The first criteria [sic] to determine legitimate journalism [sic] is editorial oversight,” says a seasoned print reporter who asked not to be named. “This kind of journalism lacks that. I consider this content self-expression rather than journalism,” she says. “What’s journalism without accountability?”
We marvel at the gall. This “seasoned journalist” unaccountably refuses to provide her name, and we wonder what could be more accountable than a personal Weblog personally linked to a personal name, personal Web site, and personal electronic-mail address.
But wait for the kicker!
Edelman’s Pforzheimer says he learned his lesson after firing off his letter to Clark: “In hindsight, I was probably too aggressive. And that just gave this whole thing more attention than it deserves.”
Pforzheimer, who’s followed blogging for more than a year [All evidence to the contrary – NUblog], says he realizes their importance and potential value. Though he hasn’t formally pitched any blogs, he’s keeping an eye on popular sites and plans to make more of an effort in the future.
“These sites have loyal followings and are worth paying attention to,” he says.
We continue to burn a candle for an apology. Time heals all wounds, save for the allegation that we are not journalists. We’re still looking for justice on that one. And justice is one of many dishes best served cold.
Posted on 2001-08-24