"Gerbilism" describes the state of today's news media

News Type: Opinion — Seeded on Mon Jun 22, 2009 12:41 PM EDT

Article Source: OregonLive.com

excerpt:"ately, I've been thinking about that long-ago school paper, and I've decided "gerbilism" is a pretty good word for what's been going on in the news media these days. Gerbilism is an apt term for something that's soft and warm and cuddly, safe and timid, with no sharp teeth and no bite whatsoever. Gerbilism, I've decided, is partly responsible for a lot of our nation's problems today.

I feel lucky to have attended a school that taught journalism with a capital "J" and still does today. In the sixties, when I was in Allen Hall, the brilliant John Hulteng was my advisor and dean of the school, the members of the faculty were like rock stars to me -- every bit as influential to me as Jim Morrison, John Lennon and Janis Joplin. (Well, let's not get carried away. They weren't THAT influential. But they were great, nonetheless.)

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Scott (Scoop) Butki's Column, All of Newsvine
Groups: Media Watch, Mediavine
Regions: Portland-OR

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Scott (Scoop) Butki

Great word to describe the media today, don't you think?

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#1 - Mon Jun 22, 2009 12:42 PM EDT

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Rainkiss

Gerbilism is an apt term for something that's soft and warm and cuddly, safe and timid, with no sharp teeth and no bite whatsoever.

This is somebody who obviously never kept gerbils. My brother and I had 'em when we were kids. I assure you, the fluffy little bastards are possessed of very sharp little teeth, and are perfectly capable of taking a chunk out of you if they think (in what they have which passes for brains) you deserve it. Note that if they catch your hand in the webbing between your thumb and forefinger, they are capable of hanging on and suspending their own weight when you lift your hand out of the cage. (Lucky for him, kitty wasn't hungry, just caught him and handed him back to me.)

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2 votes

#2 - Mon Jun 22, 2009 12:57 PM EDT

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Scott (Scoop) Butki

good point.

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#2.1 - Mon Jun 22, 2009 3:59 PM EDT

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Scott (Scoop) Butki

Meanwhile Wikipedia is now listed as a news source at Google.

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#3 - Mon Jun 22, 2009 9:31 PM EDT

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SCOTT (SCOOP) BUTKI

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"Gerbilism" describes the state of today's news media

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