'I reported on Washington’s biggest party for journalists. Now I’m an outcast.'

[MisterCreosote]

Pat Gavin isn't exactly what I'd call a "reporter," but he made a documentary on the Nerd Prom last year that's evidently not too flattering for journalists. He know claims he's being ostracized:

I reported on Washington's biggest party for journalists. Now I'm an outcast.

Journalists ought to stand up for rigorous reporting, even if it is at their expense. We always hear that reporters have the thinnest skin of all, but this character trait ought to be filed under "room for improvement" instead of "standard operating procedure." After all, journalism's most important trait is its commitment to exposing the truth in the full. If we can't commit ourselves to doing that, what's left about the profession to celebrate?

I'm not sure he's shedding any new light on anything by exposing the Correspondents' Dinner as a sham. But, has anyone seen the documentary? It sounds pretty interesting.

 

[DanOregon]

The Washington Post has a story that says the show has gotten so big that it almost doesn't make any money (at $300 a plate no less). The WHCA also would like to do something about having more actual WH reporters getting to go instead of their news orgs bringing along advertisers and celebrities.

 

[Liut]

IIRC, Jeff Greenfield refused to attend.

 

[Riptide]

We are not the storytellers.
We are the victims of a vicious media attack.

 

[TheSportsPredictor]

Outcast remains outcast.

 

[YankeeFan]

As a follow up, he's going to write about the media round at Augusta.

Then he'll really know what it's like to be ostracized.

 

[murphyc]

So if someone had reported on the event when Pat Gavin was taking selfies with celebrities, would he have appreciated it too much? I didn't think so.
Why even write this story? It's not going to un-ostracize him. Readers aren't going to care. So why even bother? It just makes him look bad.

 

[MisterCreosote]

So if someone had reported on the event when Pat Gavin was taking selfies with celebrities, would he have appreciated it too much? I didn't think so.

He's never made any bones about what he does. He's more gossip columnist than serious journalist, and has been as long as I can remember.

 

[Alma]

Readers aren't going to care. So why even bother?

Im sorry but there's compelling evidence - as in years and years of popular rants against the media - that suggests, yes readers very much care about media pissing matchs. It's clickbait crack.

We have to stop presuming readers do not care about media feuds. They do. They really do.

 

[wicked]

Im sorry but there's compelling evidence - as in years and years of popular rants against the media - that suggests, yes readers very much care about media pissing matchs. It's clickbait crack.

We have to stop presuming readers do not care about media feuds. They do. They really do.

Media feuds, sports feuds, sports media feuds, political feuds -- readers just love conflict, it's human nature.

 

[Doc Holliday]

Media feuds, sports feuds, sports media feuds, political feuds -- readers just love conflict, it's human nature.

I like Family Feud.

 

[3_Octave_Fart]

I doubt very highly the average reader cares about Jason Whitlock's latest journalist feud, or Chris Jones's latest, or Scoop Jackson's latest, so on. Take a walk around your pub next time and ask a few patrons if they've ever forking heard of some of the feuders that get fussed over, on this site.