“And when you look at the internet business, what’s dangerous about it is that people who are
clearly unqualified get to disseminate their piece to the masses. I respect the journalism industry, and the fact of the matter is …someone with no training should not be allowed to have any kind of format whatsoever to disseminate to the masses to the level which they can. They are not trained. Not experts. More important are the level of ethics and integrity that comes along with the quote-unquote profession hasn’t been firmly established and entrenched in the minds of those who’ve been given that license.Therefore, there’s a total disregard, a level of recklessness that ends up being a domino effect. And the people who suffer are the common viewers out there and, more importantly, those in the industry who haven’t been fortunate to get a radio or television deal and only rely on the written word. And now they’ve been sabotaged. Not because of me. Or like me. But because of the industry or the world has allowed the average joe to resemble a professional without any credentials whatsoever.” — Stephen A. Smith in the LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS
Because you blogged this:
Inquirer sports columnist Stephen A. Smith has been stripped of his column and has been offered a job as a general assignment reporter in the Inquirer’s sports department, according to
sources inside both the Inquirer and the Daily News…[Stephen A.] rarely has boots on the ground in Philadelphia and some say that leads to embarrassing gaffes like an April 4 2007 column accusing Phils General Manager Pat Gillick of trying to run the Phils from his home in Toronto, even though Gillick — who used to GM the Toronto Bluejays — had long since sold off his Toronto digs.
“It’s the kind of thing where if you actually spent some time around the Phillies you would know,” says another source. “Besides, Smith is the last guy that should be accusing somebody of phoning it in from outside Philly.” That column resulted in a mea culpa follow-up, and it wouldn’t be the only one. There was the Sunday August 12th column that had the Phillies losing to Atlanta 5-4 the previous Friday when in fact the Phils beat Atlanta 5-4. This is what happens when you do all your reporting via Blackberry, say naysayers.
Just last week Smith took commissioner Bud Selig to task for not being present when Barry Bonds broke Hank Aaron’s home run record,* which prompted a wishy-washy Bud’s OK If You Like That Kinda Thing follow-up column. In describing Bonds’ detractors, Smith unintentionally echoed what his detractors often say about him:
People will label him an acerbic superstar allergic to humility, more interested in personal agendas than success for his team and the game itself.