Thursday, March 12, 2009

Academics and Journalists

These folks are making an honest effort to sort out the issues that cause friction between academics and journalists. I've been both an academic and a journalist, so let me add a tidbit: specifically, there is all the difference in the world between two different types of journalist jobs. One is the guy (guilty, your honor) who calls up up on deadline and just wants you to utter a memorable sentence--and may have the sentence prepacked to slip into your mouth.

The other and very different character who will call and talk for one-two-three hours at a time as they really try to make sense out of something. You can lose patience when you've got bluebooks to grade and kids to feed, but we ought to regard these guys as the journalists of our dreams with the time, the patience and the resources to do their job right.

There have never been many. Used to find some of them at the Los Angeles Times. Wonder where those guys work now?

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