Am I a journalist or not?
While I will grant you that many, if not most, of what I post isn’t news per se, so that would exclude me (mostly, anyway) from the “hard news journalist” categories. But I’ve noticed that folks like Dave Barry, Andy Inhatko, and Bill O’Reilly aren’t exactly hard news folks, but they’re still journalists of a sort. And don’t get me started on that O’Reilly fella – just don’t.
But…. during a job interview today (wahoo!) we talked briefly about my background, especially my areas of study in college. I did a “Liberal Studies” major, which meant a minor in three areas. I went with Journalism, Computer Science, and Graphic Design. Apparently I do ok with the design bit, and I do alright on the computer, so what about Journalism? Well…. It’s been a while since I wrote anything specifically to be published in print. Back in college, to be exact. I do attempt to do some product reviews, in a fashion, in my “reviews section of my site – formerly called “media”, btw – so I guess that could be considered journalism.
But what does that make the rest of this fiasco I call a website? Diary entries? Well, some are, sure. But what about others – like when I make a social commentary (i.e. we’re in the middle of a recession!!!!!)? Or when I see an interesting story in the paper or on the web, and link to it to spread information? Isn’t that similar to what the big bad news sites do anyway?
Or does the fact that I pay for all this myself diminish my work in some way? I don’t buy that, however, based on an entertaining explanation of why freedom of the press is dangerous: the government doesn’t decide what the press prints, the press does. As long as the statements aren’t slanderous or libelous, there’s usually no problem. But when a newspaper/magazine/tv station/whatever won’t print an article/ad/letter, then people get all up in arms about their freedom to speak, freedom to be published, blah blah blah. The point here – and it’s a good one – is that what gets printed by the press is up to them because they own the friggin’ presses that print the material. So, while I may disagree with something someone says, I don’t have to put up with it in my “press” – i.e. this website.
If you look, you’ll notice that some folks actually do leave comments on some of my postings/ramblings/stories. Some of them make sense, some don’t, but that’s life. You’ll notice that there are pretty much no abusive ones – because I see that they’re there and then I take them off. It’s my press, so I get to decide what goes there.
By the same logic, I guess that makes me the publisher of the “adam.gerstein.net news” – or, alternatively, of the “a life less interesting gazette”, depending on how you want to look at it.
Is there a point to all this? Yeah, I guess – that I need to start doing more writing. Not just the journalism, which was always enjoyable, but some fiction too – I had a fun time in my fiction class in college, and have some good ideas that I think others wouldn’t mind too much reading (uh-oh, there goes the ego again!).
Anyone have any comments? If I like them, maybe I’ll let them stay 