One can’t expect to work in journalism without being exposed to a little venom from the public every now and then. However, many journalists have noticed an uptick in the public’s loathing of journalists in the current political climate.
Take Grady Trimble, a reporter at WTSP in Tampa Bay for example. Trimble was minding his business on assignment earlier this week trying to get the scoop on an alligator who had wandered into the street.
While trying to get to the bottom of the issue, Trimble encountered a potential viewer with some very intelligent feedback for him. Trimble explained the encounter in a tweet.
Apparently, there are people out there who just cannot contain their rage upon seeing a reporter out in the field reporting the news, which is somewhat unique to our profession. I’m sure the drive-by carnival barker in this story has never had a journalist visit her at her job at Walmart to critique her greeting skills.
As you can see by the number of re-tweets and likes, the tweet has garnered quite a bit of attention, which should serve as a reminder that while our critics are certainly the most vocal, there are still sane people out there who support journalism.
I’m concerned about the lack of participation on this site. If you’re not already doing so, you should have every J-school in the country linked to this site. My peers at the Miller School at Kansas State should be first on your list.
Well, this blog is only about 9 months old. Engagement takes a little more time than that.