Newspapers dying for a reason

The beautiful and talented Caz of Avatar Briefs spotted this wonderful example of old-media condescension toward bloggers from one Jane Fynes-Clinton, a writer of some sort for the Brisbane Courier-Mail:

STRESS, pressure, lack of work-life balance, domestic tensions, poor diet – it could be for lot [sic] of valid and justifiable reasons.

But it all comes together when people sit at their keyboards. They become champagne corks, poised to pop.

They surf, they look, they read – and away they go.

And away she goes:

Blogs and electronic feedback devices have become the new circuit breaker. Consumers unload, offload and shift the blame before they damage something in the real world. They rant, they swear, they let it all out. And presumably they feel better. . . .

Good God woman, you are so full of shit. (Hey, I do feel better!) Crappy writer, too. (Better yet!)

The problem with blogging is that it is too easy. It's easy to let fly and rant. It's easy to let off steam, defame and mock, and think it all goes into the ether.

You may have sensed that I'm experiencing an irresistible urge to let off steam, defame and mock at this very moment. Must be poor diet.

Blogs and comments are a long way from the red pen of an editor and often the whispering voice of conscience.

(Must not defame. Must not defame.)

Another area that could use a little bit of a brush-up is presentation.

Now I know the internet is a place that is loudly bereft of formality. I know the lingo used is about as far from Year 12 English as you can get [Oh yeah? Well I know what anagnoresis means, you hunchbacked slattern--oops, I defamed--ed.], but sometimes it's just plain hard to understand what people mean. If mess gets in the way of the message, surely it's time to review the delivery. It doesn't have to be correct or proper, just readable. Please.

Wait a minute. "Mess gets in the way of the message"? "Loudly bereft of formality"? And you're lecturing others about their writing? Where's that editor you're so in love with? Or that creepy whispering conscience of yours?

For some, blogging is not the harmless, personal communication it once was. There is also the more serious side: in the past couple of years, it has become possible for people to make livings from blogging [whaaaaa?--ed.]. There are sites that rank blogs according to how much traffic they attract. Political groups and government keep an eye of the traffic [sic].

With this seriousness and professionalism [hi, ma!--ed.] comes an increased risk that someone will cop it legally over a spiteful, personal attack on someone else. . . .

Not in this part of the world, dearie (do not insert Try-Works link here).

Bloggers who share a little acid in their touch-typed words need to be careful. I am not suggesting censorship in a strict sense.

Well, as long as it's not in a strict sense--

But bloggers need to be a bit mature and a bit sensible, lest they be bitten badly down the track. It might keep the "blogosphere" [sic] a little cleaner and clearer without stemming debate or watering down the diversity of opinion.

Oh, it's a bit mature and a bit sensible we need to be, is it, if we're not to be bitten on this cruddy dogtrack of yours? Think I'll take my chances.

It would just be good if bloggers thought twice before unleashing words they might later regret [you mean like "hunchbacked slattern"? Too late, already unleashed--ed.]. Let a blog entry act as a circuit breaker, by all means, but do it prudently. . . .

Surely, it is not that hard: 1. put brain into gear; 2. poise fingers above keyboard; 3. gather thought and consider its consequence [sic]; 4. write.

Slow down, I'm taking notes. And don't call me Shirley.

Circuit breakers are designed to minimise harm. That notion should apply to all in the virtual world as well as the real one.

I bet she can't name a single blog.