Helen Thomas: Bad journalism is bloggers’ fault

By Michelle Malkin  •  January 5, 2008 06:13 PM

Update: Patterico - She’s right. We don’t have their “standards.”

***
The deterioration of journalism–from Janet Cooke to Stephen Glass to Scott Thomas Beauchamp to Staged News Galore to Rathergate to Reuters-gate to More Fake News Galore–isn’t the fault of individual MSM reporters, editors, or shoddy journalism schools.

Whose fault is it? The “dean of journalism” Helen Thomas blames bloggers. Damned bloggers!

Via the Business and Media Institute:

“What I really worry about is that I think the bloggers and everyone, everyone with a laptop thinks they’re journalists,” Thomas said. “And, they certainly don’t have our standards. They don’t have our ethics, and so forth. There’s a deterioration,” she continued. “Reporters laid down on the job in the run up to this [the Iraq] war.”

Thomas made those remarks in a January 4 round-table discussion that followed the premiere of a documentary about the National Press Club 100th anniversary, “The National Press Club at 100: A Century of Headlines.” The documentary chronicled how the National Press Club has changed over the years as forms of media have changed – from newspapers to radio, TV, magazines and now bloggers. The most recent changes were underscored by Matt Drudge’s June 1998 National Press Club luncheon address.

“I think they did a lousy job and we’re making for it now because the questions that should have been asked were not asked and because of 9/11 and the fear of being called unpatriotic, un-American and so forth. We let the country down,” Thomas added.

So, not only is their incompetence our fault. Their cowardice is our fault, too!

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  1. cookiecrumbexpress.com Blog » Blog Archive » Bloggers lack her standards
  2. It’s my fault! — Blogcat Strut Lyrics | Mark's Soap Box
  3. Ed Driscoll.com
  4. Best Joke of the New Year: Helen Thomas “Bad journalism is bloggers’ fault” » Winds Of Jihad
  5. The Autonomist
  6. Webloggin - Blog Archive » Speaking of Change - If I Could Vote on TV Talk Show Hosts Most of Them Would Be Gone
  7. The Dan Lee Report » Blog Archive » Intellectual & Media elitist Helen Thomas attacks the free speech & integrity of bloggers.
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  9. Michelle Malkin » Dan Rather, the Captain Ahab of journalism

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Comments

Comment pages: « 1 [2]

  1. #101
    On January 6th, 2008 at 8:25 pm, On-my-soap-box said:

    P.S. Who can take trolls seriously when given an opportunity to wish the hosts of this blog Happy New Year and they pass.

  2. #102
    On January 6th, 2008 at 8:43 pm, meatpieandtatters said:

    I just pasted the picture of Dame Thomas above a troublesome pest hole and am pleased to note that all rodents have vacated the premises.

  3. #103
    On January 6th, 2008 at 8:51 pm, On-my-soap-box said:

    Will that work for trolls meatpie?

  4. #104
    On January 6th, 2008 at 9:14 pm, SHoward said:

    Well, Soap, her pic was below the link to these comments, but the trolls came anyway. Maybe she is what a female troll actually looks like….

  5. #105
    On January 6th, 2008 at 11:24 pm, swj719AWG said:

    Is Helen really dating Keith Olbermann??

    Not even I would wish that on Keith…

    I should be upset at Michelle for even having that picture up. *shudder* Now I’m going to have nightmares…

  6. #106
    On January 7th, 2008 at 12:28 am, pdigaudio said:

    Helen Thomas was an embedded journalist at Valley Forge and sided with the Redcoats.

  7. #107
    On January 7th, 2008 at 12:35 am, pdigaudio said:

    The ultimate in diet aids is a life size picture of Helen Thomas in a thong on your refrigerator.

  8. #108
    On January 7th, 2008 at 12:54 am, SHoward said:

    Responding to #107 –

    I’M BLIIIIIIIIIIIND!

  9. #109
    On January 7th, 2008 at 2:00 am, swj719AWG said:

    As if the Chantix wasn’t making it hard enough to sleep…

    pd, you are a horrible, horrible person.

  10. #110
    On January 7th, 2008 at 8:30 am, Tantor said:

    Helen Thomas: “And, they certainly don’t have our standards. They don’t have our ethics, and so forth. There’s a deterioration.”

    And that’s why we bloggers are eating their lunch. Journalists have set the bar so low on standards and ethics that professionals from other fields can blog and beat them at their own profession. When sloppy and biased journalists like Helen Thomas are whining about bloggers, that means we are having a good effect on journalists, who love to dish it out to others but don’t like having it dished out to them at all.

  11. #111
    On January 7th, 2008 at 11:13 am, Barry F. said:

    She’s right. We don’t have their “standards.”

    Thank the Lord! The MSM fabricating so-called “news” is enough for me. If it weren’t for MM and the like in the blogosphere, more people would still be buying into the MSM talking points for the left.

    I want to hear the truth, good, bad or indifferent.

  12. #112
    On January 7th, 2008 at 11:53 am, mojo said:

    AUUAGH!

    Christ. Thanks for the pic, Michelle. Now I have to go sandpaper my eyeballs…

  13. #113
    On January 7th, 2008 at 12:01 pm, dakine said:

    A little advice soap: a guy of your “stature” and overall physical appearance is probably best off refraining from referring to anybody as a troll. Know what I mean?

  14. #114
    On January 7th, 2008 at 12:39 pm, On-my-soap-box said:

    On January 7th, 2008 at 12:01 pm, dakine said:
    A little advice soap: a guy of your “stature” and overall physical appearance is probably best off refraining from referring to anybody as a troll. Know what I mean?

    Troll

  15. #115
    On January 7th, 2008 at 12:47 pm, dakine said:

    Tool.

  16. #116
    On January 7th, 2008 at 12:48 pm, ajmontana said:

    Dakine,
    Soap is a bigger man than you will ever amount to be. Not cool.

  17. #117
    On January 7th, 2008 at 12:57 pm, On-my-soap-box said:

    You called me out: #69.

    I asked you to prove it: #100

    I brought up: #101

    The best you can do is: #113

    So, you threw the first punch and you will not let up.

    Go back to DKOS where you will get some respect.

  18. #118
    On January 7th, 2008 at 1:01 pm, Lanzman said:

    Gee, lots of digs at Thomas’ age and looks. How mature of you all.

    On the substance of the story, she’s dead wrong, of course . . . the “new media” (aka blogs) is rising strong precisely because the “old media” represented by Helen Thomas and her peers have failed so completely to live up to their obligations as journalists.

  19. #119
    On January 7th, 2008 at 1:07 pm, dakine said:

    aj, tool or not, I think soap can take care of himself.

    soap, your “LOL” at yourself stuff was in another thread. I’m a traditional/old school conservative (think Goldwater and Reagan (w/o the religious right nonsense)) with a libertarian streak, but I do enjoy listening to and reading other points of view. As a result, I’m not afraid to visit sites such as DKOS. It’s not a very good site though IMO, so I don’t visit very often. The format sucks and most of the posters are mirror images of guys like you…extreme, irrational and no ability to appreciate another point of view and engage in intelligent dialogue.

  20. #120
    On January 7th, 2008 at 1:19 pm, On-my-soap-box said:

    You mean engage in intelligent dialogue like:

    On January 6th, 2008 at 12:08 am, dakine said:
    Is that a real picture? If so, that may be the ugliest photo of a human being that I’ve ever seen.

    OT: Soap, when are you going to have something interesting and/or original to say? “LOL” at your own weak material is lame bra.

    I see what you mean. So what part of your intelligent dialogue did I miss?

    no ability to appreciate another point of view

    Depends on the person. I loved BuckI when he posted and we did not agree on much. lgm has little to offer and you have less at times (such as now).

    You came on this thread and made a deliberate attempt to attack me for no reason so, I can’t even give you “intelligent dialogue”.

    Your attempts belittle me are sad and pathetic.

  21. #121
    On January 7th, 2008 at 1:29 pm, dakine said:

    The photo of good ‘ole Helen was intended to result in silly/personal comments about her physical appearance, so your point as it relates to that portion of my post is off base. However, I will admit that the second portion of my post was a bit out of line, so I apologize for that. I stand by what I had to say in my last post though.

  22. #122
    On January 7th, 2008 at 1:44 pm, On-my-soap-box said:

    You stand alone. In the furure, leave me out of your comments.

  23. #123
    On January 7th, 2008 at 2:33 pm, dakine said:

    You’re a funny little man soap.

  24. #124
    On January 7th, 2008 at 2:37 pm, On-my-soap-box said:

    And you stand in my shadow - troll.

  25. #125
    On January 7th, 2008 at 2:57 pm, mojo said:

    What, she can be an ugly old harridan mostly famous for interviewing William T. Sherman and I’m not supposed to mention it?

    Where’s the fun in that?

  26. #126
    On January 7th, 2008 at 2:58 pm, dakine said:

    Touche you clever wordsmith you. Last word goes to soap.

  27. #127
    On January 7th, 2008 at 5:17 pm, Salt said:

    dakine said:

    The photo of good ‘ole Helen was intended to result in silly/personal comments about her physical appearance…

    You might have inferred that, dakine. Put “Helen Thomas” into the google image search and it’s the first photo. Take a look through other photos of Helen. I don’t think the intent of the photo was quite what you thought it was. She’s just not photogenic.

  28. #128
    On January 7th, 2008 at 5:38 pm, dakine said:

    I hear ya Salt, but c’mon. There’s no way that Michelle picked that particular photo without thinking that folks around here were going to go to town on it.

  29. #129
    On January 7th, 2008 at 6:09 pm, SHoward said:

    Dakine, Salt’s point is that any picture of ol’ Dame Thomas was likely to not be very appealing.

    We can’t halp it that she might actually be what a female troll looks like.

    Remeber, Michelle has too much class to place that picture so we can hurl………jabs at it.

  30. #130
    On January 8th, 2008 at 12:30 pm, dakine said:

    SHoward, you’re kidding right? Take off your Michelle colored goggles for a minute. Michelle regularly uses the worst pictures ever taken of those individuals with whom she disagrees (or otherwise has a problem) on this site. I gotta believe there are somewhat better pictures of Helen Thomas available. Having said that, however, this site is about entertainment as well, and that picture made me chuckle a little. Interestingly enough, that picture of Helen looks a bit like soap would if he was an 80 year old female.

  31. #131
    On January 8th, 2008 at 2:36 pm, sfcmac said:

    The old bag is obnoxious and delusional. Her “ethics” and “standards”??? That’s the LAST thing the main stream media possess or practice. Stephen Glass, Jayson Blair, Eason Jordon, Mary Mapes, Dan Rather, William Arkin, Keith Olbermann, Helen Thomas….what a collection of moonbats.

    Those self-appointed foreign policy “mavens” are a laugh a minute.

    They want all of the rights of free press but none of the consequences.

    They fear the general public’s ability to access and utilize the internet as a forum to counter their half-truths and confront them on their belief that they and only they can define the facts and how they’re presented.
    It doesn’t take a degree in journalism to discuss issues, dissect the blatant leftwing advocacy, fill in the parts they convieniently omit, or point out all the distortions they pass off as “news stories”.
    Thomas should just consider bloggers as a force that ’speaks truth to power’.

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