Rules are for amateurs
It's amusing to see the legs that Greg Weatherford's story on the Times-Dispatch gag rule has: It was picked up today by Editor & Publisher and has enjoyed a nice ride atop media blog Romenesko in the days that it ran.
I'm amazed at the Times-Dispatch's policy, but not because I think it demonstrates some sort of fascism (the editorial board already evinces that philosophy nicely) but because it's blatantly unnecessary. As at most bigger organizations, the fear of getting fired virtually guarantees that unless executives are slaughtering virgins in their offices, no one who values his or her job is gonna go on the record. It's kind of a time-honored tradition.
Personally, it sounds to me like the T-D management is absolutely in the right about introducing accountability to a paper where there's been precious little of the stuff for a long time--it's the only way it'll ever stand a chance of become less of a journalistic backwater where fourth-stringers like Mark Holmberg can be "star reporters" (and unless things have changed a lot since I moved away, rating more than two or, uh, two people there as "2"s on a scale of 1-5 is extremely generous on management's part).
This gag rule, however, is a blazingly stupid move. Now the dopes who've been welded to their desks since the Carter Administration have some cover for their general waste-of-spaceness, and the much-needed reforms at the Incontinent Lady will likely be derailed by this crapstorm of negative publicity.
And with that, I'll go back to my non-Richmond life, which is a lot less fun! Hey, I miss taking shots at that paper!
While we're sharing love, feel free to read my book blog, or even better yet, buy the darn thing. I'll be home next Friday to read at Chop Suey, too!
I'm amazed at the Times-Dispatch's policy, but not because I think it demonstrates some sort of fascism (the editorial board already evinces that philosophy nicely) but because it's blatantly unnecessary. As at most bigger organizations, the fear of getting fired virtually guarantees that unless executives are slaughtering virgins in their offices, no one who values his or her job is gonna go on the record. It's kind of a time-honored tradition.
Personally, it sounds to me like the T-D management is absolutely in the right about introducing accountability to a paper where there's been precious little of the stuff for a long time--it's the only way it'll ever stand a chance of become less of a journalistic backwater where fourth-stringers like Mark Holmberg can be "star reporters" (and unless things have changed a lot since I moved away, rating more than two or, uh, two people there as "2"s on a scale of 1-5 is extremely generous on management's part).
This gag rule, however, is a blazingly stupid move. Now the dopes who've been welded to their desks since the Carter Administration have some cover for their general waste-of-spaceness, and the much-needed reforms at the Incontinent Lady will likely be derailed by this crapstorm of negative publicity.
And with that, I'll go back to my non-Richmond life, which is a lot less fun! Hey, I miss taking shots at that paper!
While we're sharing love, feel free to read my book blog, or even better yet, buy the darn thing. I'll be home next Friday to read at Chop Suey, too!
posted by Andrew Beaujon at 23:20
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