Mashable Banned! How Dare They?

One of my favorite bloggers was reportedly banned by the Thai government today. Pete Cashmore wrote to his readers that Mashable has been banned because of his blogs reporting on the YouTube ban incident. The ban, if there is one, is not the subject of this post, but the ability of a great blogger/news-person to ride the razors edge is something our readers should be interested in. Sometimes we do not even notice the often subtle ways that people display their talents or even intentions. The bottom line is, there is news and then there is news.

Success in Journalism – Web 2.0

Cashmore, and a very select other few, have this rare ability to synthesize the pulse of their readership. Great communicators have an innate ability to know exactly how far to take things. Take this article for example, Cashmore does not bash the Thai government or even exhibit any opinion about the supposed ban. He leaves it to his readers to come up with all the "answers". Still, the ghosts of Geraldoism haunt the halls of Web 2.0 like ectoplasm goo awaiting us all at every turn.

I have noticed this ability in a few people in my time, and they are always extremely successful at doing two things; promoting thought provoking discourse and being able to manipulate end results. This is not to say that people with these characteristics are Machiavellian, but simply that they can take communication to another level. By comparison, news people who simply manipulate to excess tend to end up like Geraldo Rivera, with egg on their face.

In my opinion Cashmore simply states the news knowing full well what the responses will be in advance. Combining insight with a line of demarcation where clarity and correct action is crucial, people in this business either thrive or falter. So there we have my little primer for success as a Web journalist. Watch events like the tragedy at Virginia Tech and you will easily note the fine line I am describing. Submit just enough footage to exert news, qualified prior to submission and the balancing act is underway.

Xerxes 2.0

For those of you who suggest complete adherence to a moral code that scarcely even exists any more, I acknowledge that Pete may be the modern day equivalent of Xerxes from the movie 300. Perhaps once he has total power over Web 2.0 social networking he will demand all manner of supplication from the hordes. In that eventuality, who would stand in Leonidas' stead? Arrington does not look Spartan enough for me and Scoble would look awful in Gerard Butler's outfit.

Well, I expect we have time, at least until the immortals come out of the woodwork. I really admire good journalism wherever it can be found. Bloggers who exhibit restraint and some sense of decorum are easy to spot. I expect all this controversy over "code" and ethics is really in pretty good hands after all. As for myself, I don't see my capability as in line with King Leonidas but rather more like "Ghostbusters", even though Gerard and I share the same name. Uncanny how we resemble remarks and etcetera.