Business Press Maven criticizes Kann/House/Zannino coverage

The Business Press Maven runs on TheStreet.com. And he takes journalists to task for failing to tell readers the significance of what has happened at The Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones in the past week:

“The Business Press Maven, however, declares the current crop of reporters guilty of thinness and, worse, in the one area where they themselves are experts: the people who tell them to ‘jump!’ and make them answer: ‘How high?’

“Reporters did not use the appointment of this first non-journalist in 73 years as a springboard to examine who holds the scepter in journalism. Look how The Wall Street Journal itself handled the situation and you’ll know why The Business Press Maven had his grand mal.

“The paper noted soberly in its lead on the subject that there was a break ‘with a tradition of journalists presiding over the company…’ Way, way down in the story the issue was examined with a grand total of two skin-deep paragraphs. The Business Press Maven can only give you the first, because he’ll fall asleep if he has to type both. Parenthetical inserts are my own, to ward off narcolepsy.

“While acknowledging his lack of journalism experience, Mr. Zannino said he was sensitive to the integrity of The Wall Street Journal (YAWN), which he has read since high school (HUH? NERD ALERT.) ‘I know what will happen if we screw up the Journal,’ he said (WILL HE ACCEPT FEWER STOCK OPTIONS?). ‘Having a healthy respect for journalism is important.’ (WHAT A DRONE.)

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