Thanks For Nothing, Since That's What You Gave Us
Recently, a couple of the blogosphere's leading lights (so we were told time and again) have announced they're leaving us peasants behind in favor of the traditional media they built 99 44/100% of their reputation and popularity on via slagging it 24/7. Mary Katherine Ham, with whom I have had public (ahem) "discussions" in the past, has announced she's leaving Townhall and with it the company of such conservative giants as Hugh Hewitt, he of the profound modesty and gracious inclusive spirit when discussing Presidential candidates, to work as online editor at the Washington D.C. branch of the Examiner newspaper chain... if you call being printed in three cities (D.C., Baltimore and San Francisco) plus being of such tremendous value it's literally given away -- the paper is free -- a newspaper chain. By this standard, the auto ad weekly rags found across the land rule over all. But I digress. Meanwhile, Leitch who after floundering for years in an attempt to establish himself in traditional media found a niche over at Deadspin with his rag on ESPN + everything in sports is for my personal amusement and it's all just a giant video game anyway = tons of worshipers and imitators shtick has let it be known he's departing his current gig in favor of a consulting editor (read: staff hack) position at New York magazine. Oh the humanity how will we go on no really I mean that.
In a nutshell, you have two people who used blogging as a self-promotion tool; a résumé booster with which to score jobs in the selfsame entity they routinely ripped in order to build the vast majority of their reputation and audience. This wasn't a case of natural growth. It was a plan from the beginning to spend time playing in the sandbox with the other kids while secretly passing notes to the schoolyard supervisors stating they were the ones actually wanted as compatriots. Ham and Leitch aren't going into traditional media to make improvements or change anything other than the size of their paycheck. They are using this as the latest chapter in their ongoing saga of "look at me -- SQUEEE!" which even a cursory glance at their shenanigans from Day One shows to be a consistent and quite nauseating trend in their laughing up their sleeve at those who thought they were their 'fellow' bloggers.
Outside of both realizing and admitting we've been had, what should those of us who remain citizen journalists, pundits, and authors make of this? I once had the question posed to me in a radio interview how would I respond if a traditional media outlet were to offer me a writing job. My answer then is the same as now: I don't know. I suppose if someone wanted to hire me to write for them, defining terms of what was expected and acceptable, unless the rules were overly restrictive I'd probably say sure... provided I could still speak my piece elsewhere. If they said no to that, then my answer would be no. Of course a higher profile would be nice. But at what cost? Never become what you profess to oppose doesn't have meaning solely in the realm of a blogger aping the worst tendencies of traditional media's shortcomings. It also means not selling out in favor of the paycheck and (quote) prestige (unquote) built into becoming part of something you constantly shrieked was evil personified.
Ham and Leitch are symptomatic of the fundamental disrespect still shown the blogosphere by portions of traditional media. That said, in this case the disrespect comes not from without, but rather within. Their actions belie all the words spoken by them over the years about how blogging is the new media and who needs the old one when we're so much better than they. The Scriptures tell us that "wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses (Prov. 27:6)." Here, the wounds came from anyone but a friend.
The issue isn't Ham and Leitch reaching for the brass ring. Rather, it's the hypocrisy of reaching for a ring held by what was labeled an evil carnival master while reassuring your fellow carousel animals you're with them all the way even as you step off. It brings to mind another Scripture: "If an enemy were insulting me, I could endure it; if a foe were raising himself against me, I could hide from him. But it is you, a man like myself, my companion, my close friend, with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship as we walked with the throng at the house of God (Ps. 55:12-14)."
Thanks a lot, you two.
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