The Neverending Battle Between Journalists and Editors

It's a relationship that brings heated debate and intense conflict, but have editors and journalists always had such a tense rapport? The Awl took a look at the history of the two closely linked professions, and it seems like they've bickered and whined about the other ever since editors and writers truly separated their talents. Writer Jane Hu traces back this history of bickering to the time of Chaucer. But the real infighting began once editors and writers had distinctive roles, and decisions about content began to arise. You see, it's a fight that has always been and always will be. According to the post, William Cobett, a late 18th and early 19th century journalist and writer had quite a few issues with his editors. He wrote about an editor at a local paper, saying, "Pray, can any one pretend to say that a spade or shovel would not become the hands of this blunder-headed editor of Bell's Messenger better than a pen?" Oh smack, let the shouting begin. But Cobett didn't just bicker about the story changes, but also what should be included in the paper. Ahh, the eternal battle of content, it's nothing new. "There must be something wrong, something greatly out of place, some great disease at work in the community, or such an idea as this could never have found its way into print," wrote Cobett. "Into the end of a cracked-skull lawyer, it might, perhaps have entered at any time... As to the rest of this article, it is a tissue of down-right lies." Should we consider Cobett a visionary? Although not the first to attack an editor's work, he definitely made sure his attacks hit the gut. Not surprisingly, there's very little mention of editors bashing journalists. Maybe it's because they didn't have a forum, or maybe it's because they just can't write. And the battle continues...

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The Neverending Battle Between Journalists and Editors

Ryan Derousseau

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Ryan Derousseau