I sometimes think we think we are that important

Has anyone else gotten the feeling recently that the people who report the news are more and more becoming the news. From the Whitlock-Stringer episode to established look-at-me staples like Around the Horn, to the Tierney story where he wants to turn every journo into a brand, to that story about Murray Waas. Maybe it's because this is a journalism-based forum that frequently discusses people in the business, and maybe it's because the boom of media formats has been a giant explosion creating more face and name time. But the emphasis on the who behind the what seems to be getting heavier and heavier each year.

 

Jouralists. Self-important? Nooooooooooo.

 

i blame whitlock in more ways than one.

 

petty, you woke me up with your incessant posting, dammit! i'm going to kick your ass!

 

deliver the crown and i'll quiet down.

 

This has been going on for years sadly.

 

that rhymes.

 

It's the "pay attention to me" syndrome, akin to the constant need for rewards thread of a few weeks ago. At its core, the constant need to comment on and attempt to draw more and more attention to what has already been written, and/or the writer, exclusive of the words, displays a total lack of confidence in and disrespect for the work itself.

 

i am sam. sam i am.

 

We're missing Martin's point a bit. He's also talking about pressures from above to turn us into "brands" -- to give us characters to play in other media, to elevate the personality over the work.

 

no argument bastard, just a question: do you think that's what the public wants or no?

 

It's what a big part of the consumer public seems to want, Tom.
Or at least, the people selling to that part seem to think so.
Personally, it gives me hives.