Greg Patterson from www.espressopundit.com
If you are an Arizona political junkie, or just like to read about state politics online, then you’re familiar with the blog writing of Greg Patterson. For those who aren’t, Patterson is a former state lawmaker and current utility regulation lobbyist from Phoenix who, like many conservative Republicans, has a sharp dislike for traditional American journalism. He was a pioneer among independent Arizona political bloggers and (among other topics) he has spent the last four years slapping around newspaper and broadcast journalists. He also occasionally breaks — or maybe I should say creates — legitimate stories about real controversies.
Patterson has tried to distinguish his views of individual journalists (he says he likes most of us working types) from his criticism of the process of journalism, which he clearly detests. But he has angered almost every journalist in the state with his practically gleeful running commentary on the financial woes of the newspaper industry.
So the buzzing in the journalism community went into overdrive when Patterson posted an item today asking if readers would pay subscriptions to make it worth his while to operate something more formal than a personal blog. Here’s a key quote:
“…I generally avoid providing the day-to-day updates and analysis that hardcore public affairs professionals require. That’s because that type of analysis can be time consuming to write and it has a limited appeal.”
Hmm, Patterson wants to get paid to write about what politicians are saying and doing? I think it’s time for Patterson to admit he’s secretly jealous of what we journalists do for a living. After, you can be cruelest to those you love the most, right?
I know some of my peers would point out that Patterson’s political biases and party loyalty clash with any traditional definition of credible, independent reporting. But as an opinion journalist myself, I certainly can’t complain about anyone who wants to make a living, or just a little money, for sharing their views with the public.
In fact, I hope Patterson does make an attempt to launch a for-profit news and opinion operation. He can join the ever-growing crowd in the 21st century version of American mainstream media.
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I might consider paying if I knew I wasn’t being fed a constant stream of Greg’s opinion and what his idea of news should or shouldn’t be. I’ve read Greg’s rants and he makes valid commentary, but as a blogger he gets to pick and choose his targets. He generally writes about what he’s comfortable writing about. Paid journalists don’t often enjoy that luxury. I think a lot of bloggers don’t understand that about the business. It’s not just about writing about things that interest you. You’ve got to slog out there on days you don’t feel like writing; talk to people you generally don’t really want to talk to you; and write about things you don’t know about or never cared about before. I’d love to see Greg try and succeed at a paid site. Someone needs to discover a model on the Internet that makes some money.