Journalists - Who is Really Qualified?

This thread stems from a point made on a different thread as to who in the media today is a qualified journalist. By definition, a journalist is someone whose profession is journalism or one who keeps a journal. For purposes of this discussion, journalism is defined as:

1. The collecting, writing, editing, and presenting of news or news articles in newspapers and magazines and in radio and television broadcasts.
2. Material written for publication in a newspaper or magazine or for broadcast.
3. The style of writing characteristic of material in newspapers and magazines, consisting of direct presentation of facts or occurrences with little attempt at analysis or interpretation.
4. Newspapers and magazines.
5. An academic course training students in journalism.
6. Written material of current interest or wide popular appeal.

Given this definition, are there really any true journalists out there? With the trend in today's media to interject opinion into reporting (a direct violation of definition #3, which is why I highlighted it), who would you consider a journalist instead of a commentator?

Bob Schiefer
Jim Lehrer
Scott Simon

IMO unbiased journalism does not exist, and none of the talking heads on either side are true journalists.

I present to you the most important journalist of the Bush Administration, Jeff Gannon. He hardly needed to analyze (or analize??) or interpret the facts at all. He merely needed to ask softball questions so that real journalists didn't get the time to ask theirs.

IMHO, the last true journalists on television were David Brinkley and Ted Koppel. Very rarely did either skew their reporting of the news or express opinions during their reporting without identifying their opinions as "commentary" (Brinkley, for example, at the end of his This Week show frequently provided his opinion on a topic as commentary).

I present to you the most important journalist of the Bush Administration, Jeff Gannon. He hardly needed to analyze (or analize??) or interpret the facts at all. He merely needed to ask softball questions so that real journalists didn't get the time to ask theirs. Originally Posted by Longermonger

Never heard of him. Rich Gannon, maybe, but he had a better passer rating than this guy.

the ratings don't provide for that type of work any more. So sad so sorry

Never heard of him. Rich Gannon, maybe, but he had a better passer rating than this guy. Originally Posted by fritz3552

I don't know...Jeff Gannon was pretty good at 'passing' and was 'rated' highly by his customers. You'll figure out why that's funny after you get curious and use the Google. You are curious aren't you? I mean, I just told you he was the most important journalist of the Bush years. That's got to eat at you.

Okay, maybe you need a little help...

LOL C'mon, GW wasn't gay. An intellectually lazy man who for some reason couldn't pronounce "nuclear" correctly, but not gay.

Now "Dick" Cheney? Named for his favorite meal... LOL

No, Bush the Lesser wasn't gay. He was just hugging his homosexual prostitute buddy and giving him the eye in a non-sexual way. That's all. I swear.

No, Bush the Lesser wasn't gay. He was just hugging his homosexual prostitute buddy and giving him the eye in a non-sexual way. That's all. I swear. Originally Posted by Longermonger

Your man and many of his cohorts won, so why are you so bitter and defensive? What a sad life you must lead to spend so much time belittling a former President of the United States.

...because Bush deserves it. Seriously though, do you know why Jeff Gannon is so important? He was a real-life media whore by any definition and turned the White House Press Corps into the Executive Branch's propaganda and advertising agency. For all of the conservatives' complaints about the media, it baffles me when they ignore something that was so blatantly wrong.

Did you mean to leave out the Internet?

Can we put Longermonger on ignore until he either learns to play nice or read what the thread is all about?

(can't resist) A conspiracy theory from Longermonger? The RIGHT wing press was covering for Bush???

You do know it is possible for people to do two or three things at the same time? ie; gay prostitute, reporter, not much difference between the two.

We have a Madam (and you know what kind) running for governor of New York and we had a porn star running for governor of California. I guess anything is possible.

I would point out that there are reporters, journalists, talking heads (anchors), commentators, and pundits. They are usually confused with each other sometimes on purpose.

I would say that reporters know the high and mighty and the low.
Journalists know the high and mighty.
Talking heads know they voice coach and makeup person.
Commentators believe they are being fair when shoving the knife in a back.
Pundits know what they think about things whether it is factually correct or not.