In Defense of Journalism, At Least What’s Left | Florence Snyder

In an era when reporters worked sources more and blogged press releases less, many great stories were born in barrooms that catered to newsies on the prowl for a cold beer and a hot tip.

These days, the media’s last great watering hole is in cyberspace at www.jimromenesko.com.  There, you can find what’s left of the fact-based community talking shop and saying things that used to go without saying back when journalism was more popular and profitable than it is now.

Last week, Tampa Bay Times Senior Correspondent Lucy Morgan “stopped by” to cyber-chide a newsman-turned-flack named Dave Parro, who left a suburban paper in Illinois to promote Aurora University and now mocks “noble-minded” left-behinds in an essay he calls  “8 Reasons Journalists Should Consider PR.”

Morgan was the first Romenesko reader to post a response.  “One reason you should NOT jump to PR - lots of people trust reporters to speak truth to power - each time one leaves and goes to work for power, it diminishes the credibility of the remaining reporters ...”

If you doubt Morgan, log on to any Florida news site, any time.  Power is lining its pockets with both hands, and truth needs all the help it can get from our dwindling ranks of hard-news reporters.

Matt Dixon of the Florida Times-Union in Jacksonville has been keeping the journalism faith, churning out riveting tales of private philanthropy at public expense. Thanks to Dixon, we now know that Sens. Stephen Wise, R-Jacksonville, and Gary Siplin, D-Orlando, turned Tallahassee’s Florida A&M University into a money laundry for special interests in their far-away districts. With a little help from friends in even higher places, Wise and Siplin were able to send millions to a “student assistance program” that exists only on paper at FAMU’s bi-partisan Bermuda Triangle. The money later emerged in the coffers of hometown “non-profits” tied to Wise and Siplin.

Meanwhile, Fixer-in-Chief Steve MacNamara is packing for an early departure from Gov. Rick Scott’s office, thanks to Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau Chief Mary Ellen Klas and Gary Fineout of the Associated Press.   The governor kvetched like a Miami Dance Mom, berating the press for “being mean” to MacNamara, a lawyer, lobbyist and communications professor whose skill set includes toadying up to important men, shameless self-promotion and selling everybody to everybody. Klas and Fineout’s reporting exposed him for the grubby, grasping Rasputin that he is.

Over on the left coast, the Hillsborough County Children’s Board is circling the wagons and trashing Tampa Bay Times reporter Jodie Tillman for shedding light on issues of incompetence and self-dealing that the board should have identified years ago.  It’s not the only Florida social services organization in need of an ethics enema.  Too bad we can’t clone Tillman.

As Dixon’s story was about to break, Wise whined that the Times-Union was trying to "besmirch" his character. 

Actually, senator, you besmirched it yourself, and Florida is darn lucky that there are still people left to hold up that mirror you’re looking into.

Florence Snyder is a Tallahassee-based corporate lawyer who has spent most of her career in and around newspapers. She can be reached at fsnyder@floridavoices.com

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