The Ghouls of JoeUser

Blogging Should Be About More Than Points

Published on April 2, 2005 By Larry Kuperman In Blogging

"Report of my death greatly exaggerated." - Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain)

I am writing this more than twelve hours after the posts reporting the Pope's death began appearing on JoeUser. The problem is that the Pope has NOT died as of this point. This, to my mind, is the Dark Side of not just JoeUser, but of the bloggosphere in general. There is little or no accountability and a general rush to judgment.

Let me be at pains to distinguish between articles that are legitimately discussing the ailing Pope's legacy and those reporting the Pontiff's death. Discussing the legacy is fine, appropriate and timely; reporting the death is unfounded and simply not true.

While I do not actually know the motivations of the latter set of bloggers, two hypotheses come to mind:

1- They are absolutely clueless as to how to verify a fact. Google is a mythical place to them, as far off as El Dorado, the lost city of Gold. That is, they have hard of it, but couldn't find it with both hands and a map.
I am being harsh and sarcastic here, but this is the death of one of the world's leaders here. Not an obscure figure, difficult to verify. This is the number one news story in the world. How hard is it to get it right?

2- The "rush to judgment" hypothesis. Quickly summarized this goes "I don't care what the facts may be, I'm going to post it on my blog and someone will click. If I post a big enough story, with the headline in all CAPS, many people will click. Then I will be in the Top Ten list and soon I will rule the world!!!"
I don't really care about how blogging is therapy for the feelings of inadequacy that plague these bloggers in the rest of their lives, when you post like this you dilute the truth. The bloggosphere becomes the perfect medium for spreading FUD (Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt.) You can post anything and someone else will link to it and on and on, ad infinitum. So rumors start, spread and become self-fulfilling. After all, with so many people posting it, it must be true?

That is why "points-whoring" as it has come to be called, bothers me.
By the way, the Mark Twain quote is often inaccurately quoted as "Rumors of my death." It should be "report of my death." I know. I looked it up.

Comments (Page 2)

Dr Guy

on Apr 03, 2005

But thats not the point. Everyone gets to be wrong sometimes. But when anyone displays a pattern of posting sensational headlines with no support or based on poor research, then my judgement stands.

Agreed with your post, but then I dont see anyone posting to a pattern here. perhaps I am wrong?

Dr Guy

on Apr 03, 2005

With all due respect, by some people's standards, since the pope was old, was fed by a feeding tube, and was in a state that most people would not want to be in, he was in fact dead.

That is barbaric!

And indicative of America today.

Dr Guy

on Apr 03, 2005

Little_whip, I don't click on your articles,

Obviously not, otherwise you'd have seen that a retraction was posted in the comments section very shortly after the original article was posted, as soon as the live newscast I was watching announced that they had "conflicting reports." But you sure felt justified in writing this nasty little piece based soley on a headline.

Maybe you should have done your research, I mean, the article was right there, how hard could it have been to check?

Larry and Little Whip, please stop.

I think emotions are running too high here. LW did print a retraction. Larry, your loss is our loss and you have expressed it very well in several other areas.

Understand this. LW was 'feeling' for MY pope and wanted the best. In that she was wrong but ultimately right. Larry, you wrote one of the greatest eulogies for him., and in that you were right.

He was MY Pope (Catholic), but he was a man for all PEOPLE.

So let it go. Remember the Man and his works. disagree with his Creed, not his deeds.

Peace

Larry Kuperman

on Apr 03, 2005

Larry and Little Whip, please stop.

Uh, I think we did Dr. Guy. YOU, sir, have the last six posts.

Larry, you wrote one of the greatest eulogies for him., and in that you were right.

Thanks. Not sure if deserve that, but thanks anyway.

Dr Guy

on Apr 04, 2005

Uh, I think we did Dr. Guy. YOU, sir, have the last six posts.

I came to the party late, and started reading down and answering as I went. I am glad it is over. Both of you have too much to offer.

Sorry for not reading all before posting any.

Larry Kuperman

on Apr 12, 2005

Let me apologize for not getting back on this sooner. I can only blame the press of work and family.

So, little_whip, you have posed an ethical problem for me. You said "It just seems to me that a handful of people who rarely (if ever) bother to actually read my blog are awfully fond of actively looking for reasons to dislike me." I don't believe that I have ever actively looked for a reason to dislike anyone, but the part about not reading your blog may be truer than I cared to admit.

Having said that, I am making a commitment to try to read your blog more often. I will not always comment, but fairness dictates that I read it more and I will.

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