BLOGGING AND JOURNALISM: YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST — by Steve Nadis
I never figured that this blog would, like others before it, play a role in the journalistic enterprise I wrote about in my article, but it has in a small way–almost too small to mention. But that’s never stopped me before. Yesterday’s New York Times had an article (front page, I’m told, though I saw it online with no page number identified) called “Theft Case Rattles Sedate World of Rare Maps.” The story concerns E. Forbes Smiley III, who’s charged with the theft of rare maps. I had written tangentially about the case during the summer, but yanked the stuff offline when people (at least one of whom I knew and liked) complained that my writings were malicious, tawdry, and any other negative adjective you might care to apply. I have no intention of reviving that whole controversy and won’t say anything here about Smiley. From what I’ve heard, he may very well be an outstanding guy and one, I might add, who has not yet been convicted of anything.
My role in this, though it was extremely incidental, does nevertheless illustrate the potential power of blogging. The Times article said that Smiley went to Hampshire College (my alma mater), “according to a lengthy profile in The Hartford Courant.” Kim Martineau, the author of that Hartford Courant article (“From Life Among The Elite To Charges Of Theft.” September 25, 2005), got that information, as well as the name of the high school Smiley attended, from this blog and from me personally. I got that information, in turn, from comments posted on “Call Me Snake,” which resulted, in part, from my slow realization, posted online in serial fashion, that I might have gone to college with the individual in question. A New Yorker writer, who is also working on a profile of Smiley (soon to be published?), was also put in touch with some of his college and high school associates, in part, as a result of this blog.
I realize this is all inconsequential, yet I still see a certain irony in it. I started out last year, wholly ignorant of blogging, with a mandate to explore the gray area between blogging and journalism. Many months later, I unwittingly found myself living in that same gray area–a point hammered home to me when I read the Times yesterday. The intersection of the New York Times and Call Me Snake is, indeed, a curious one, and some might say a dubious one. But for me, it’s an historic event, or at least a footnote of some sort. In my book, any time “All the News Fit to Print” comingles with “Old News Unfit to Print,” the result is worth taking note of. Or making note of. But perhaps that’s because of my longstanding, singleminded devotion to the pursuit of nothing.
Some consider it "bad form" to comment on your own blog, so let’s call this an "update" rather than a "comment." I just heard from a very reliable source (does the name MarkoPolo, aka MarcoPolo, mean anything to you?) that the aforementioned New Yorker article will be coming out next week. This I believe. Or rather, I should say, this I believe I heard.
A month ago, you took the "high road" and said you’d stop writing about Smiley. But, as Reagan once said, "there you go again." I think "Snake" is a pretty good name for someone like you.
Dear "anonymous" — I did not promise to "stop writing about Smiley," though I did pull a number of posts offline when it became apparent they were making some people very angry. My post yesterday was not at all about harassing this man, who I don’t know and may well be innocent. I was merely struck by the coincidence that earlier this year I’d written about blogging and journalism and months later found myself somewhere in the middle of those two media forms. I never intended to offend anyone and sincerely hope I did not.
Yes Snake, why did you bring all this up again? I hope you do the right thing and buy every copy in existance of the New York Times and the New Yorker and destroy them. You OWE it to E. Forbes and his thin-skinned fan club.
You’re right Doc, I screwed up again. The only way out, as you wisely point out, is to buy all copies of the New York Times and New Yorker issues in question. That’s going to cost, but if it helps me sleep at night, maybe it’s worth it. Next time I’ll keep my trap shut. That will be an even cheaper way of getting some shuteye.
Having followed much of the Affair He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named through your blog, as well as Google’s cache of your deleted material (nothing ever quite goes away for good), let me offer the notion that few things generate interest quite so much as something hidden. I suspect the increase in visitors to your site may well correlate with your seemingly innocuous choice to single out an individual for attention merely because of his name. Were you to pick one name a week out of the news and comment on it, you might soon exceed your bandwidth once again.
Is this a good thing or a bad thing? I don’t know. I suspect the people upset with you and your posters nurture some unexpressed anger at the subject himself; likely anger tinged with sadness, if I have to speak for myself. Now, expressing one’s feelings are a start to solving a problem, so I would say you’ve helped, even though helping may have been painful for you as well. Ethical dilemmas have horns, after all. So tread gently, and I hope your back feels better soon.
Deer Deer Man — Thanks for the thoughtful comment. Can you actually access the deleted material through Google? If so, you are far more clever & enterprising than I am. I think you’re right when you say that people who got upset with me over the Smiley affair were upset, in general, over the whole turn of events, and my posts tapped into that sentiment &, in some cases, unleashed it. Re. my back: After a week, it’s slowly getting better, though taking longer than usual. Thanks again for the note.
I couldn’t find everything you deleted (but then again, how would I know), but if you play around with the ‘cached’ and ’similar pages’ buttons after doing a search some things do show up that aren’t otherwise available. Or at least they used to. Maybe there’s a statute of limitations or something.
Every time you use his full name it’s going to get found by a search engine. Wasn’t it Sartre who said we’re responsible for everything? Surely someone has adapted No Exit using three bloggers by now.
Backs are funny. My sister had back surgery as an outpatient under a local anesthetic. Doctor put a band aid on her and sent her home. A year later she ran a half marathon. Me, I lean over the keyboard for a couple hours and mine gets sore. I should just do the exercises. Let me know if there are any other benefits to turning 50.
Hello again, "deer man" — Offhand, I can’t think of any great benefits to turning 50. The best that can be said for it, in my experience, is that it may initially come as a great shock, something you fight and resist, but you eventually get over that and give in. In the end, there’s not much else you can do. Would Sartre agree?
Well Dr. Max, let me ask you a question. Ever heard of free speech? Yes, I assume you have, well lets get someting straight, if Mr. Snake can write about Forbes, why can’t Forbes friends answer Snake? Its not about being thinskinned, its about give-take, Snake took it, can you? Oh, but I forgot, im just being thinskinned, mabye Snake’ll delete this for you, cause you know were talking free speech. And Snake, yes we are upset over these turns of events, a great man does a stupid thing, rots in jail for years instead of doing what he does best, helping and improving anything he finds interest in, how about mabye making him do a hellofalot of community service? Of course were sad, were sad that Forbes is now a scapegoat. Oh and buddy your not the only one that attacked Forbes. Just look him up in google, its sick, Asshole of the Month, one man wrote about hoping he got gang raped in jail, thank god you have more persective. Dr. Max, am I allowed to respond to them?
Sorry for the much-spirited comment
-Digs
Thanks for your note, Digs. You’re definitely allowed to respond, at least in my book. I’m not sure how it came across to you but I definitely never meant to “attack” your friend. In fact, I don’t think I did. I initially made a brief comment on how interesting his name was, not knowing anything about the person, & things sort of took off from there. Certainly no harm was intended from my end. I’d better not say any more, or I’ll probably just make things worse.