Shame on the Press Meme

Insty linked to Charlie Martin, who has a great idea - letting the press know what you think about how they are treating "Joe the Plumber."

So let me propose a meme, and all you bloggers are officially tagged. Write your own complaint to the New York Times public editor, about how they "cover" Joe. Post it. If you want to get all linky-like, drop a comment here, and I'll run a summary.

Here's mine:

Sir,

As a former subscriber, I would like to let you know that how your newspaper has covered "Joe the Plumber" represents precisely why I no longer trust you to inform me about what is happening in the world. While I do still believe that it is important for the citizens of a democracy to be well informed about the world, this can no longer be accomplished by reading your newspaper.

The "Joe the Plumber" story is a fascinating view behind the curtain. Senator Obama made some revealing comments to him. Rather than focus on what these comments tell us about the Senator and how he might govern, we find the following topics highlighted by your reporters:

• What is the status of Joe's plumber license?
• What does Joe's divorce tell us about him?
• Are Joe's taxes paid up?
  

The press likes to put on airs, and claim that it is writing the "first draft of history." Twenty years from now, Joe the Plumber will still be just an average guy. Senator Obama will likely be something very different. The fact that you need someone like me to point out the disconnect between the pretensions of the "Newspaper of Record" and the performance of same is unfortunate.

When the last employee of the Times turns out the lights for the last time, many of us will think "what a senseless waste, how a once worthy institution sold its soul." It's a crying shame.

Formerly yours,

Borepatch

P.S. I am Spartacus Joe the Plumber!

Politicians -- Sarah Palin, Bill Clinton, et al. -- obviously have to put up with some rude, nasty shit, but it's right there in the jobs description. Joe the Plumber is different. He was a guy tossing a football with his kid in the front yard of his $125,000 house when a politician picked him out as a prop for a 30 second newsbite for the cable news cameras. Joe simply had the temerity to speak truth (or, if you prefer, an uninformed opinion) to power, for which the politico-media axis apparently determined that he must be humiliated, harassed, smashed, destroyed.

UPDATE 18 October 2008 21:43: Hey bloggers! If you want to get all jiggy, put yer own "I am Joe" widget on your home page! Point it towards Iowahawk's post. This isn't about politics, it's about contempt for honest political discourse.