I am flattered to have my blog praised on the new Dale & Co political website run by Iain Dale.
A post written by guest writer Martin Thompson questioned the scathing attack on bloggers made by the 2010 Man Booker prize winner Howard Jacobson. This is what Mark said:
Booker Prize winner and Independent columnist Howard Jacobson has taken it upon himself to make some comments about blogs:
“When I wander off from the newspaper and into the world of blogs I’m a bit chilled.
What you read is extreme ignorance and pure poison. It is a poisonous, poisonous medium. You can’t believe how malicious, how ignorant, how stupid… and you do wonder if they don’t have anything better to do than attack people who have written articles. And you do wonder whatever happened to the idea of the critic; of the reviewer… people who have given their lives to honing the art of what they do.â€
This is a ridiculous tirade. To assume all bloggers are one homogenous mass is a fundamental error. To follow this through imagine if I was to apply to same reasoning to his own profession of newspaper columnists.
I often have problems with the writings of Melanie Phillips, Peter Hitchens, Richard Littlejohn, Liz Jones, Jan Moir and others. Perhaps not every single column they have written, sometimes each of them will have interesting points to make but I am very sure I could quickly pick out several from each of them that I could characterise as poisonous, ignorant, malicious and stupid. And then I could use this as a stick with which to beat all columnists with and dismiss them all.
But that would be to dismiss the writings of people like Matthew Parris, Matthew D’Ancona, Danny Finkelstein, Steve Richards, Mary Ann Sieghart, Julian Glover and countless others whom I respect and admire and who usually produce thought provoking columns of a very high standard. So of course I would never do something as crass as this.
For Mr Jacobson to make a statement like this suggests that he has not read many blogs at all which for an intellectual such as him who doubtless considers himself very widely read is odd. I mentioned this on Twitter and sometime contributor to Dale & Co Louis Barfe sagely suggested that it is probably because he has only ever read blogs that people have pointed him towards that are being negative about his writing. Hence he would be getting a very distorted view of what is out there.
If Mr Jacobson gets pointed towards this article, in an attempt to balance his experiences, can I suggest that he tries the following blogs:
People’s Republic of Mortimer (wonderful writing on politics and lots of other subjects from Lib Dem Alix Mortimer)
Scarlet Standard (relatively new blog from a long term committed Labour activist who is thought provoking and highly politically aware)
Ellee Seymour(Ellee has been active in Conservative politics and works in PR – she usually has an interesting take on stories of the day)
I would argue that all three of these bloggers on their best days are up there with the best of the columnists I cited above and there are countless others out there too political and non-political. The idea that it is only people who are being paid to write their opinions and analysis that are worth reading is I am sorry to say ill-informed elitist nonsense.
I think Howard has a point to an extent as I have experienced cyber-bullying and read vitrioloc comments written with sheer spite. However, it’s daft to cast all bloggers in the same vein, and Howard certainly doesn’t take fools gladly. Many writers are precious about their work and feel threatened by bloggers and, like the TV, they can just switch it off if they don’t like what’s in front of them. He needs to be pragmatic as there’s room for all writers in this world today, the good and the bad, if they have a captive audience.
A cwell-deserved mention, Ellee.
One can but wonder …. 😉
Nice to be so well thought of, Ellee. By me too.
Whether you think poorly of someone’s writing – which has passed editorial vetting and escaped censorship and libel action – is purely a matter of personal opinion. I’m sure any of those mentioned (except Liz Jones) are capable of delivering a cogent rebuttal to any of Mark (Martin’s ?)claims that they are ‘stupid’ or ‘poisonous.’
Is it a coincidence that they are all employed by the Daily Mail ?
I fail to see the comparison with unregulated blogging which is a different subject entirely and yes – can be a very poisonous and amoral medium in parts.
What’s to argue with if only to take a pot shot at Daily Mail polemicists ?
Congratulations on the well-deserved mention, Ellee.
The MSM and many others distinctly dislike and even fear the blogger. Your own blog here, Elle, is evidence that the journalistic standard is higher than much of the MSM.
On another matter though, are you aware that when one clicks on your name on, say, Welshcakes’ site, it goes to an old blog which does not link to your current one? It ends up in a dead-end. I have you on my blogroll but still might not not.
Hi James, thanks for your comment and kind words.
Regarding the link, because I changed my website and its url link about four years ago, some people have probably not updated my link on their website. If they did, their readers would come straight here 🙂
Congratulations Ellie 🙂
Bravo
Deserved, Ellee x
But columnists can be just as nasty, spiteful and stupid. The fact that they are paid makes their dreadful attempts at argument all the more dreadful – bloggers don’t do this as a day-job most of the time. They are not professional writers but excellent lawyers who write, bankers who have an opinion and publish it, housewives who network. The fact that a professional writer finds blogging a threat, which most of them do, merely displays their own conscience: they know their own worth and are terrified of being found out!
There isn’t a hair’s breadth in the quality of writing or analysis between some of the bloggers on my list and star columnists paid an utter fortune.
Ellee: Your site has always been one of clarity, thoughtfulness and integrity throughout the years I have enjoyed it.
Congrats Ellee. I’ve been reading your blog regularly and this is definitely a deserved recognition. Enjoy
Really a wonderful post to read it.