The overblown Wal-Mart affair My attitude toward the flap about Wal-Mart enlisting bloggers to argue its case about its employee benefits policies was nicely summed up by Jeff Jarvis and others. Why is this a story? What did these bloggers do that most local newspapers and TV stations don't do every day? Is it news to anyone that PR agencies influence the stories that are reported in the media? Is it news that reporters sometimes take shortcuts?

I've been in the computer trade press for more than 23 years and have seen some pretty ugly things. I've seen press releases reprinted verbatim with reporter bylines on them. I've seen reporters write single-source stories and pretend that they had done significantly more research than what was presented in the story. I've seen quotes invented or lifted out of press releases and submitted as original. I've personally had my work plagiarized by one of the biggest news services in the world. I've seen businesses and organizations present reporters with expensive trips and gifts, which the reporters accepted without question and didn't disclose in their reporting. On the advice of my editor, I once accepted one of those trips myself.

These things probably don't go on at the New York Times (though who knows what Jayson Blair was doing?) but they have gone on for years at small-market and vertical publications. That's not an excuse, but it is context. The media takes shortcuts and works hand-in-glove with PR organizations at every level. Even the biggest and most influential publications communicate with publicists. Professional reporters at big media operations are very clear on the rules. People at mid- and small-market publications often don't understand the nuances. Take a look at your local newspaper. Do you suppose the people who produce it are seasoned journalists with clear ethical standards? Most likely they aren't, but that doesn't diminish the value of the information they provide you if you understand where they're coming from.

Most bloggers aren't professional journalists and don't adhere to the codes that journalists hold true. Nevertheless, I think the blogosphere is remarkably transparent and honest. The values that serious bloggers embrace are just as virtuous as those accepted by major media organizations. The fact that some bloggers don't understand or adhere to the rules may make them amateurs, but it doesn't make this a scandal. Or even a story.  ¶ 1:38 AM