Is The Mainstream Press Even Viable Anymore ... When It Comes To Reporting on Apple or Anything?

In recent litigation against my website I was criticized for not being a journalist, therefore not having the right of "free speech" or "freedom of the press". One argument made in an injunction hearing is that I don't verify my sources [ I DO ] and that I report for sensationalism [ I DON'T ]. The key point here is that these are thought to be "credential ethics" ... when they aren't.

Case in point:

As reported by MacMinute:

BBC interviews wrong person on Apple vs. Apple case

In a somewhat humorous story on WebProNews today, they note that the BBC interviewed the wrong person, on live TV, for comments on the Apple Computer vs. Apple Corp case. The TV network accidentally interviewed an individual who was in their offices applying for a job, who had the same first name as the intended guest. "Sometime towards the end of the interview, which is accessible on the BBC website, the host clues in to the fact that Goma is most certainly not an expert on downloadable music or the Apple vs. Apple spat," notes the story.

I like to report these tidbits just to illustrate how bloggers [ LIKE ME ] report the news ... it seems the mainstream press is just out on the streets randomly bumping into news stories with a pad and paper in hand.

Lest we not forget also the Dan Rather/CBS fiasco where he had to admit on national TV that evidence may have been fabricated and he didn't verify and double check it ... what he left out was ... "I'm Dan Rather, I hate George Bush, I meant to report it, and I'm sorry I got caught."

Followup stories:

This Blog Out reports CNN
Code Of Ethics For Journalism