Rubel inadvertently demonstrates the value of traditional journalism

Micro Persuasion: Our Sixty Minutes with Bill Gates. Here's the comment I left on Rubel's gushing account: 

"Gee, Steve, some real confronting interviewing there. I'm amazed Gates was able to stay 'affable' during this tough grilling. As for 'Microsoft is one of our clients but I was invited as a blogger' - you're kidding right? You had 'a month to process it mentally' and you came up with "what's on your Zune?". Bring back traditional journalism all is forgiven".

This exercise looks like a way to do PR without the annoyance of people asking tough or aggressive questions. I'd hate to see blogging just become a way of the powerful giving the appearance of being open and accessible by using these carefully orchestrated events with people who seem to be overcome by their audience with the great monopolist. There is not going to be much 'speaking truth to power' in these situations.

"I was invited as a blogger" - I can't get over that.

Comments

[Steven Noble]

Surely this is to fierce blogging what advertorials are to journalism...? I don't see this as an old media/new media issue at all.

[Trevor Cook]

Steven - advertorials are not journalism, they are ads in the form of editorial content. If Rubel's effort is a paid for piece he should declare his interest. Of course, he is keen to deny any such thing - "I was invited as a blogger"

[Phil]

Harsh but true, talk about a softball. I agree though, we must be alert to the possibility of some using bloggers as cover for openness and a badge of "cred".

It's a weird kind of credibility if that's the case.

Kinda like what News Ltd and other big media outlets are doing with blogging........kidding, just a little.

[Steven Noble]

Exactly. Advertorials are ads that look like journalism. The Rubel/Gates piece looks like an ad that looks like blogging. If it is, then it should be labeled as an ad.

My point was that disguised ads compromise traditional journalism as surely as they compromise blogging...

[Kevin Behringer]

Trevor:

Great job calling Rubel out. It's sad when one of the most influential bloggers out there (who was invited "as a blogger") asks one of the lamest questions of the panel.

At least Arrington asked about DRM, something of substance.

[Trevor Cook]

Sorry Steven I misunderstood your point you are right