As you may know, the very august and superswanky National Press Club held an event on Feb. 20 where they agreed that bloggers are very, very bad people:
David Gregory: Because it- it's the Internet, and the blogs, that have really used this White House press conference to somehow support positions out in America- political views...and I think people try to divine motives of the questioners and- and certainly draw conclusions about, uh, the answers, or- or non-answers, uh, based on their, their, their own political views.
That was the tenor of the meeting. (And - as Kossack STOP George noted - legendary man-whore White House correspondent Jeff Gannon was in attendance.)
All very funny. We get it. Bloggers is bad mens (and wimmens).
So why is the NPC teaching a Blogging 101 class to its members on March 12?
It's on the calendar:
Sponsored by: Professional Development Committee
Event Location: Library Classroom
Details: Blogging Basics: Create Your Own Blog Tonight
Monday, March 12
6-7:30 p.m.
NPC Computer Lab
Eager to start your own blog? Want to improve a blog youve already started? Then this class is for you! Attendees will learn some great tricks and gain valuable advice. This is a hands-on class and you will have a working blog by the end of the session.
This is for NPC members only and space is limited to 15 people. Please register by e-mailing class instructor Rob Yunich (XXXX@nsba.biz).
Among the many ironies here is that the aforementioned man-whore White House correspondent managed to figure out how to set up a blog. So if Jeff can do it, why do his colleagues need to be led by the hand through the deep mysteries of a Blogger template?
And why do they need to know this "blogging" fad that all the kids are doing? It's just junk. It's not real journalism, like the hard-hitting stuff they publish:
A February 26 Newsweek article by Jonathan Darman and Evan Thomas described former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) as "buff and handsome in late middle age."
As Media Matters for America has noted, MSNBC's Chris Matthews has also applauded Romney's looks, stating that the former governor "has the perfect chin, the perfect hair." Also, on the February 13 edition of Hardball with Chris Matthews, MSNBC political analyst Pat Buchanan said that Romney was an "an extremely handsome man." As Media Matters also documented, The Politico's Roger Simon has claimed that Romney "radiates vigor," while Mike Allen, former White House correspondent for Time (now chief political correspondent for The Politico), touted Romney as someone who "looks like a president."
So what do you suppose the press corps is going to learn to do in Blogging 101?
handsomeprez.blogspot.com: Chris Matthews puts up lots of pictures of W in flight suits and asks "Which one is the cutest (in a hetero sense, of course, you guyz...jeez!)?"
www.myspace.com/norahlicious: Norah O'Donnell lists her current crushes, including American Idol Taylor Hicks, "that guy in Death Cab for Cutie," and OMG MITT XOXOX ROMNEY XOXOXO SQUEEEEE!!!"
itshemmertime.typepad.com: Bill Hemmer just posts lots of pictures of himself, like this one:
I'm out of ideas. What do you think Journalism's Finest will learn at their blogging class, and what do you think they'll be blogging about?