The Laughing Wolf

A Profound Sense Of Relief

Back before the move, I got a phone call that resulted in a profound sense of relief. It was one of those phone calls that would cause many to feel down, but I had the hardest time containing my relief and not shouting for joy.

For more than 18 years, I have been a member of a media organization, a trade organization for those specializing in a particular field of coverage/journalism. This organization has introduced me to some interesting and some wonderful people. Indeed, to my mind the best thing this organization has ever been is a networking tool and I volunteered some time towards that end.

When I first joined, the directory was being done in all caps on a dot matrix printer, then photocopied, by the overworked and undersupported part-time person who really did all the administrative work. With her blessings, I took the database output and did a LOT of massaging on it, then converted it into a professional directory with indexes. The first year, this took months to do in my spare time and I even went so far as to buy a special set of fonts for the output. It is sort of like the old saw applied to the military in regards tactics versus logistics: amateurs discuss grand design, professionals talk fonts.

The result was a huge improvement, a step that met with some praise and a heck of a lot of carping. Some people were very unhappy with their information and listing, and I suspect that part of this is because it was the first time they had ever been able to read it. Lots of work went on, and another person was brought in to help with the database issues (and I think to work on the databases themselves). The indexes expanded a bit, improved, and the result was a great directory. The three of us involved were pleased and happy, and getting a lot of flack from some members who still were not happy. Not a one of those complainers ever volunteered to do anything mind you…

I did it for years and while I did receive an honorarium for the work, it was just that as even several years worth may not have paid for the fonts, much less the time it worked. I continued to do it for a number of years, before deciding to give up my voluntary duties. It was asked if I would do a short letter/whatever to go in the newsletter, then I had the president call me and tell me it would not go in. He and the Board wanted to keep it quiet until someone new was found, I think they may have been in negotiations, etc. I agreed, and despite his promises, he never acknowledged the work I had done. Would that I was surprised, but between internal politics and the fact that he was a member of the journalism purity league and the Old Media, I had no expectations that he would do so.

For I was a member of a group that was working to bring about some changes in the organization. Times had changed, rather significantly, since its inception and some progress was made around this time, with freelance, PIOs and other beyond-the-pale types finally getting a full membership, though still prevented from any true role in organizational leadership. Board, yes; executive leadership, no. I stepped on a number of toes by pointing out changes in the profession and in technology, and that freelance members alone deserved more and better than was their lot. Some of the things I did openly and behind-the-scenes helped this effort, and while still seen as dreck by the journalism purity types, progress was being made.

In trying to make changes, I had run for the board at least twice. To be honest, part of the reason I did so was that it gave some of the journalism purity league types apoplexy. In fact, some of them were so upset they mounted a semi-quiet campaign of lies, which I found out about when a member contacted me to ask me if such was really my position. I was pleased, because they only do things like this if they do indeed see you as a serious threat.

This time, events had been such that I had pretty much forgotten about the organizational election. When I got the call that I had not been elected, I was not surprised, downhearted, or anything else: just relieved.

There is another military axiom that says that militaries tend to prepare to fight the last war, which does have some truth to it. The fact was, I was relieved because if you apply that concept to this organization, I had realized that the die-hard journalism purity types were still fighting the Civil War, while the rest of us were doing the blitz into downtown and tearing down statues.

To be very honest, this organization has reached a point where I question if it can change in a meaningful way to meet the changes. It has yet to deal with changes that happened to the profession a decade or more ago, so how will it handle the profound changes that have come as a result of blogging and new media technologies? How will it handle the fact that citizens, not just the specially anointed and self-anointed, are once again taking up journalism? How will they adapt to seeing the marketplace of ideas made reality? I am not sure they can.

Hence my relief. Hence also a new decision, one that will be decided in many ways by my new job. If they are willing to pay the fee for me to be a member, I will stay. If not, I will end a nearly 20-year professional association because it is no longer relevant or worth my money save as a networking tool. Sad in some ways, I admit, but look at why this has come about and be glad.

The marketplace of ideas is no longer in the hands of the gatekeepers.

The world of information has changed, and is now in your hands. Rejoice, and go make it work.

LW