Fear, loathing, and blogging

A lot of what I've encountered in more than 25 years as a news editor and reporter will seem obvious, boring, or even cliched to those in the business. But Andrew is always reminding me that this blog, and Newsvetter in general, is not directed at other journalists.

To that end, those of you who are not accustomed to writing for the public should know a few things before deciding to bare your soul. Although we have encouraged companies and individuals to write blogs, it's also important to know why reporters are supposed to be thick-skinned:

• Feedback will be negative. An old axiom in the news business is that people only bother to write letters to the editor or post comments when they're upset; the vast majority might actually agree with you, but it's human nature to complain far more than we praise. Even for those of us who occasionally write letters commending the service of a waiter or a salesperson, we're probably far more likely to complain if we do anything at all.
• You will offend people. And you may not even be aware of it, let alone know what you did to provoke them. Readers are funny that way--there are a lot of angry people out there, and many will take it out on you. One of the downsides of instant publishing is spontaneity; a lot of people simply don't have filters.
• Some will try to discredit you. At newspapers, critics accused us of being beholden to advertisers; on the web, they said we couldn't objectively cover the digital medium because we were a part of it. Needless to say, a corporate blog or other content enterprise that's part of a business (like this one) is especially vulnerable.

Now this isn't to say that the world is full of hate and that you should just go live in a secluded cabin, Ted Kaczynski-style. This post is just intended to note the less pleasant side of becoming your own news outlet.

Besides, if you want to have impact, you'll inevitably tick off some people along the way. Another newsroom saying is that, if those on all sides of an issue are upset with what you've written, it means that you've probably done a good job telling a story right down the middle.

The best writers, whether journalists or essayists, will attempt to make their articles "bulletproof." That often means disarming potential criticism by acknowledging up front anything that can be used against you, from affiliations and personal relationships to means of support--that old transparency thing.

Beyond that, just be prepared to take your lumps and move on. In her surrealistic ramblings, Sarah Palin did manage to make one lucid observation: "Your enemies won't believe you anyway."

She's right.