It occurred to me today that I used to be able to come home after putting the newspaper to bed and actually unplug. Of course, that was years ago. Before cell phones. Before e-mail. Before blogs and comments on the Web site.
Oh, I might have gotten a phone call at home every so often. Or I'd find some messages on my desk Monday morning. But I could take a break. Have a life.
No more. I'm obsessed, and readers are obsessed.
This morning, before I even got dressed or fed my horses, I got up to check my e-mail. My inbox was exploding, as usual. I killed out the junk and found several e-mails from people I consider good friends, even though I hardly ever see them in real life. They warned me about some of the comments on our Web site. And they were right. The profanity had hit an all-time high.
Just about that time, our webmaster was stepping into her ski boots at Bear Valley, hours away. I called her on her cell phone. And sure enough, she answered it and walked me through the steps to moderating the online comments.
Phew! But now I can't walk away from my laptop. The sun is out and I can't go outside.
Did I call this 24-hour journalism? Wait? Where's the journalism?
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2 comments:
I hope you guys keep the comments up in spite of the hassle. I remember cnn.com had comments early on and they stopped them as they were getting crazy, a big hatefest really. I have noticed though lately that comments on news sites seem to be back. I find myself looking at the comments sometimes before I finish the article! Good work guys, don't give up! (Who cares about a little cussing now and then, I don't)
Well, here is one comment about professional journalism and the ability of the press to take the type of actions that the blogosphere (with a couple of exceptions) will probably never take. But then the linked site was started by a professional journalist.
I applaud the decision of the Tracy Press to demand access to Councilwoman Tucker's email with Lawrence Livermore Lab. In a time when the public has a right to know, it is the independent press that can do the most good.
I cringed when the San Jose Mercury News and the Contra Costa Times were gobbled up by Media News Group. The loss of local, independent voices is a dangerous precedent. I hope that the Tracy Press keeps its independent attitude for a long time.
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