Say it ain't so: Joe the Journalist
If you trusted Joe the Plumber as a "plumber," political pundit or pitchman for the digital television conversion, maybe you'll give him a shot as a journalist.
Samuel J. Wurzelbacher, the man whose 15 minutes of fame seem inexhaustible, is heading to Israel to cover the ongoing conflict in Gaza. He told an Ohio television station he'll spend 10 days as a war correspondent for a conservative website, Pajamas TV.
Though I'm not impressed with the website, I'm willing to wait until his dispatches return before I suggest a new field of employment. If the man is willing to go to Israel and try to penetrate the conflict zones in Gaza, he's more than free. And if he wants to send videos and blog about it, I welcome it. But Joe the Journalist, whose celebrity was created by Sen. John McCain during the presidential campaign, should be judged by the quality of his work.
Journalists aren't accredited or licensed like plumbers. (Sound familiar, Joe?) Whether you're Joe or a random blogger writing from your bedroom, anyone can call himself a journalist. But it's up to the public to believe it. Newspapers, like this one, have an established and distinguished record of telling people's stories, providing valuable public information and holding those in power accountable. And people know that. (Many people disagree -- and they have that right.)
Read more about Joe the Plumb, er, Journalist after the jump.
My (educated) guess is that Joe's work will most likely not be at the same level as hardened, experienced journalists. Covering a war isn't easy, neither is telling someone's story, as he said he plans to do with Israel's "Average Joes." What bothers me about Wurzelbacher's trip is that it feels like shameless self-promotion just before the release of his book. (Note: Joe has a publicity firm.)
Though we can't make any final judgment about Joe's journalistic chops, he's already provided more than enough reasons to be skeptical. At a campaign stop in October, Joe agreed with a man who asserted "a vote for Obama is a vote for the death to Israel." In a later interview with FOX News, Joe failed to specify Obama's stance on Israel or explain his views. And he disqualified his own thinking by saying, "Listen, you don't want my opinion on foreign policy. I know just enough probably to be dangerous."
Remember, however, that Joe is no "celebrity journalist" pioneer. The San Francisco Chronicle issued press credentials to Sean Penn and ran a series of his photographs and personal accounts from the Iraq War and Iran. (Here are some others.)
I fear the day we will only tune into a war, or event, based on who's covering it. And that skilled and insightful journalism will be lost in the blabber of the internet. And that the public will fail to reward it. But let's at least give Joe a chance.
AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster
There may not be any LA Times reporters left next year so it doesn't hurt to have other people out there. ..In fact it was a Times reporter that was caught making up news stories a few years ago? As far as I'm concerned journalist are the same as politicians and lawers in my book and I bet many others feel the same.Obviously the Times does not do to great of a job itself or you would not be renting out public parking in the parking structure
Posted by: alex | January 09, 2009 at 03:56 PM
Like you said, lets give Joe a chance. Looking at the last few decades of what is supposed to pass as journalism, I'd say "it's so easy, a caveman could do it!"
And folks are actually scratching their collective heads wondering why the media's credibility is lower than that of used car salesmen, and the mainstream print giants are going into bankruptcy. Talk about shooting yourself in the head.
Posted by: Ron H | January 09, 2009 at 03:56 PM
UGH. Joe the Celebrity Liar and Sarah Palin need to go take a 6 month cruise and shut up for a while. I'm sick of both of their 15 minutes of fame lasting FOREVER.
Posted by: Caroline | January 10, 2009 at 10:30 AM
I guess he really enjoyed his 15 minutes of fame!
The Palestine Review
http://palestinereview.com
Posted by: John smith | January 12, 2009 at 12:28 AM
Check out Joe the Journalist's website at http://www.joethejournalist.com
Posted by: mark tahiliani | January 12, 2009 at 08:02 PM