Hated the world over

So yesterday, I met up with Alex, the CA intern who's writing about local bloggers. Everybody wave to Alex -- Hi, Alex!! He's not at all scary, which is good for you Memfolks -- I, umm, kind of sold you out and gave him your URLs and contact info (Abby ... Evan ... Johanna ... etc.)

Unfortunately, Monstee, he was not interested in your total awesomeness. Your cave is too far away from Memphis, which is a damn shame, because you'd light up this city like a big blue flame. Err, did that come out wrong? You know what I meant.

Today -- for the second day in a row, mind you -- I left the office for lunch. If I do it two days in a row, does that make it a habit? Because I've been working through lunch like my whole life. I'd hate to break my stride now.

Aaaanyway, being the nice middle-of-the-road independent I am, I'm sitting in my car noshing on some Freedom Fries, flipping back and forth between EIB and Franken. (I left my iPod in the office.) Franken rips on the president while Limbaugh rips on Durbin and Pelosi. And Savage rips on everybody because you just can't please him.

Now, as I told Alex, I try to stay away from politics in my blog. You get enough of that locally from Hollihan and Lawrence and Sparks -- a CA staffer whose kids were Paul's playmates growing up. You've even got Ktown's freshman legislator, Stacey Campfield, who's fielded some not-so-nice comments by blogging the innards of the Tennessee House.

So I try to stay away from politics, but after flipping around the radio this morning, I gotta say it: Do you think you could quit hating on the media a bit, guys? Liberals think the media is too conservative; conservatives think the media is too liberal ... and, yeah, Savage rips on everybody. Look, I understand that a certain amount of bias resides in all journalists. It's high time that the media recognizes its right to an opinion while not fanning the flames of that opinion into the faces of its audience. But for commentators to sit in their sound-proofed studios and repeatedly denounce all journalists ... well, that does nothing but embitter the world against the 97 percent of journalists who really do have a conscience.

What's the answer? Not buying fully into either side. Reading, listening and learning as much as possible on your own. Recognizing that everything -- from textbooks to Trivial Pursuit -- is colored by its creators' opinions. ... And trusting that, despite what both sides say, the media is not a giant conglomerate conspiring to brainwash the world.

As a reporter -- and later as an editor -- I cried over stories and sources and situations. I hurt. And I've seen people at it much longer than me approach the meltdown point because they care. So why, as a group, are journalists treated as if they are less than human? It's time for the people with influence -- the Limbaughs and Frankens and Savages of the world -- to take their thumbs out of their asses and learn a little respect. And if not respect, as least compassion for a largely thankless job.

And until that happens, I'm keeping the iPod plugged in. The commentators can kiss my ass.

Peace and love guys -- please be supportive. Feeling kinda low about all the negativity.