He has decided that the MSM engaging with its audience is not such a great idea. Someone suggested to me maybe it was his first day on the internet... Here's his comments, in full...
"FUNNY WORLD
Wiser heads have warned to never get involved in debates in Blogland.
But a Herald item about taxpayer funding for Ladyhawke prompted such howls of indignation on the musos' website dubdotdash, I felt obliged to take part and the experience confirmed my impressions about blog debates.
What I found was that many of these blogs - though not all - seem to operate as opinion regulators with like-minded contributors supporting one another and defining the debate.
Differing opinions can be dismissed as trolls and there is a concerted effort to bring people into line. Inevitably the Ladyhawke debate was peppered with personal invective and swearing. The lesson was clear - you're in Blogland now.
It shows why the so-called MSM (mainstream media) so seldom ventures in - maybe it is better that way."
Hi John,
The lines between MS and Blogland are crossing over increasingly as new media evolves and the way people get their news changes - your own paper regularly uses them and their content as news sources, and also as writers (Bernard Hickey, David Farrar).
Your oversimplification of our discussion in the comments on that post overlooks who was making those comments - journalists, music industry veterans, and people who have some experience of the music industry. Some agreed with you, some didn't. That's the nature of internet debate.
Anyway...
Here's a wee cartoon for you. Enjoy.
cheers
Peter
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| source: xkcd.com |
6 comments:
Meh... looks more like the standard Herald columnist play when they get called out on being *cough* a wee economical with the veritas.
"Waah, those nasty internet weirdos are crushing my dissent in the pages of the only newspaper in the largest media market in New Zealand. And they've got dirty mouths."
Would you care to listen to my concerto for the world's smallest violin?
That really is as much a cartoon about you Peter.
Although it could be argued that NZ Herald routinely act as opinion regulators, they don't resort to using perjorative terms such as 'troll', or encourage and allow others to, as soon as a differing opinion is offered. It so happens the same thing happened to me, getting called 'troll', and a lot worse, when I offered a differing view on a topic you raised for discussion, not here but on Facebook, which you also use for online debate and you appear to use to promote your blog.
Posting that cartoon seems only to back up Drinnan's criticism of you Peter, as does, quite clearly, the first comment by Craig. When Drinnan suggests of bloggers such as yourself 'what's your point?', I reckon, he has a point.
('pejorative', and for you 'here are')
Hi Stuart
thanks for the comment. I put up that cartoon because it is about me, as you suggest - it shows that you need to have a sense of humour when it comes to debates like this one.
As for you saying the NZ Herald dont resort to terms like troll - the only person using that term over this specific comments thread in question was the Drinnan. No one else used it.
The problem I have with Drinnan's response in print, was that it beared little or no correlation to the actual debate, and seemed to suggest he had already decided what the debate would be like before he even got involved in the comments. His prejudices guided him on this one, which is a shame. I just don't see the whole blogland vs MSM as being that black and white.
That debate you refer to on FB was unpleasant and the trolling part was uncalled for - my apologies. But the comments thread Drinnan is discussing was very civil, I thought. Cheers
Yep, I can see the blogland vs MSM thing as not so black & white. Maybe it's more of a grey - a bit like how I like my walls perhaps!
And while the debate's not for me, you at least hope everyone remembers their manners. I wish you well with it and appreciate your response, so thanks.
I agree with you, when you say you "hope everyone remembers their manners." Manners are important!
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