IMHO
Although I’ve been in the “opinion” business for six years now, it still amazes me sometimes at the reaction I get from people. I criticize Sarah Palin, I’m a liberal Democrat. I agree with one of Mitch Daniels’ policies, I’m a Republican shrill.
I get e-mails all the time from someone telling me, “you’re a journalist, you’re supposed to be fair and objective.” My personal favorites will always be the one from the guy who told me “I don’t want to listen to no terrorist talk radio.” I wrote him back telling him he was using a double-negative so he actually did want to listen to terrorist talk radio. The other is from a lady who used the n-word in her correspondence but misspelled it, I wrote her back, correcting her spelling, and asking her not to add to the stereotype of the ignorant bigot.
I bring this up because I think some people are confused as to what I do for a living. I am a commentator, which means I comment and offer opinions about local, state and national issues. I am not a pure journalist in the sense of the term because I can do more than report facts, I can offer opinions. I do use my journalistic and reporter skills when gathering information. I also use my attorney skills, my comedian skills, and on a good day on the air, my acting skills. They tend to come in pretty handy.
I make it a point to treat most people fairly most of the time, but every once in a while, I’ll admit to maybe having a little too much fun at some knuckleheads’ expense. But I am actually under no obligation to objective, unbiased, fair or anything of the sort. My job is not to be fair, it’s to be right. However, to do this job properly you have to look at the facts as objectively as possible in order to draw the right conclusions. We may interpret the facts differently, but hey that’s America. And as far as elected officials go, my bias more toward the ones who aren’t jerks, than their political philosophies.
So the next time you read something or hear something on the radio show and you think I’m an arrogant, pompous, self-absorbed, egotistical, unfair loudmouth, you’re probably right. And oddly enough, so I am. Thanks for reading, listening, watching and allowing me to do a little refresher for everyone.
Enjoy your Sunday.