Two weeks ago today, Carlton Fletcher wrote an article in the Albany Herald with a quote from State Senator Freddie Sims that was critical of blogs/bloggers, and I responded.
Today, Fletcher responded to my response via his latest column, in which he states
Sound bites can certainly get your attention, but an edited three-second remark is not going to add a lot of depth to a news story. Neither is a dashed-off ‘blog’ based on what someone sitting at a computer terminal all day thinks or has heard. This is not professional jealousy; it’s statement of fact.
There are people who are going to rely on the sound bites, who are going to want to log on and share their opinions with fellow bloggers. But I’ll put my trust in a reporter who goes out and digs around in the muck a bit, who talks to more than the usual suspects to try and find the nuts and bolts of a story … and there are still a few such individuals left in this business.
I have nothing against computer folks and TV news people – Jeff Sexton does a good job with his SWGA Politics blog and Len Kiese and Ashley Knight are actually quite good TV reporters – but if part of your job description is ‘getting your makeup right,’ I’m not going to bank on the depth of your ‘reporting’.
Since he never responded to me privately, I’m not going to respond to him privately, and my response to these statements is below the fold.
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