A few weeks ago, I was in Scottsdale, AZ to speak at a conference focused on online business models. I got there a little early to sit in on a keynote by Andrew Keen, thinking that I'd launch an offensive during the Q&A. Keen is the author of The Cult of the Amateur: How Today's Internet is Killing Our Culture. You probably don't need to read all the refutations of this tome of logical fallacies, ad-hominem arguments and factual errors to know that I'm pretty firmly in the other camp.

I wound up keeping my yap shut because it was pretty clear that the audience was on my side and I certainly wasn't going to change Keen's mind about anything. But a few things have rattled across my transom in the last couple days that brought the pro-am argument back to mind:

First, well-respected sports journo Buzz Bissinger (Friday Night Lights) teed off on the sports blogosphere with an assist from Bob Costas and came off looking like a colicky relic.

Then, our friend Terry Heaton (see you Tuesday, Terry!) wrote about a nice deconstruction of the Keen argument.

Then, I found myself chastising a young journalist who was appalled that an advertising agency would start a local news site when its hometown newspaper folded.

And then, as I was catching up on my PegNews reading, I came across this nice comment on Ron Dempesmeier's Asia concert review and this detailed review of Gaslight by Mark-Brian Sonna.

I don't believe that any other local media outlet had a review of Asia. And if they did, I doubt that their staff reviewers, even if they had space to do so, would have been passionate enough about the band to come up with as thorough a review as Ron did. And clearly, someone appreciated it.

And although you can hardly call them amateurs, there's nuance that working performer-directors like Mark-Brian and John Garcia bring to their extended reviews of local shows that almost no "professional" critic could. Similarly, I'd proudly put Mark Stepneski's Stars coverage next to any "mainstream" report -- if anything, the lack of space limitations may give him an unfair edge.

By no means am I suggesting that professional journalism isn't important or relevant. I even buy the argument that with the ease of publishing myriad (and potentially incorrect) items all over the Interwebs, it's more important than ever.

But we also need to remember the roots of the word "amateur." The original use of the word referred less to a lack of professionalism than to the "ama" -- Love, enthusiasm, passion. And what professional journalist doesn't achieve more when he's passionate about the work? (I'm really pleased with the enthusiasm that led our young team to work through the night on suburban election results.) Perhaps instead of worrying so much about the lack of professionalism among amateurs, we should focus on how to instill more old-school amateurism in professionals during challenging times for their business.

Comments

Jason Rice Verified

Hear! Hear!

I hate the rap "amateur" has gotten. Olympic athletes were historically supposed to be classified amateur. Nike/CBS changed that, not the sports themselves.

The best part of the amateur sensibility is a level of fanaticism that is often lost in a long term "expertise." You can find lots of folks that loved something enough to give everything else up and trapped themselves doing ONLY what they once loved. Some of my favorite folks at what they do are part-timers. They do it for fun, for a larger purpose. Not just a paycheck. Blessed few are paid for their passion.

(No, Pavel, not THAT! -- back away from that "oldest profession" comment and nobody gets hurt.)

Frankly, most of the arts coverage in town could be phoned in from Bangalore after reading a few press releases and looking at some publicity pictures. "Oh, look XYZ, that performance venue with more money than the Sultan of Brunei is doing a musical version of Golden Girls. It's a given the set and costumes cost a wad and look awesome. Let's Google the actresses and imagine comparisons to other shows that come up."

I can do that from anywhere. Fanatics are in the trenches.

I have long bursts of enthusiasm for my "day job" (thank heavens) but it's fortunately a creative and challenging endeavor interspersed with lots of hard detailed work. For fun during the "hard work" part, I'm a fanatic elsewhere.

Your points on Mark-Brian and John are spot on. I wish there were thirty of them in town, but I'll take what I can get. Stepneski? I know nada about hockey (that's the one with all the long sticks, right?) but five words into him and you know the guy breathes it and you get excited with it. You love it with him, 'cause that's what it's about.

Thanks for keeping troops on the ground, ears in the clubs and butts in our seats.

That's not amateur. That's fanaticism. That's what makes it worth getting outta bed.

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