Degrees in Journamalism

I'd like to add, as someone who spent most of his high school days and three years in college studying journamalism, that there is nothing about a journalism degree that endows anyone who receives one with any kind of superpowers.

Frankly, I think so little of such a degree that I will go on record as saying that, given eight hours a day, Monday through Friday, I could teach you everything you need to know to be a beat writer in two weeks. We'd even have time for a nice lunch every day.

The Goat Riders piece reminded me of this discussion from last June. The idea that beat writers and columnists ask tough questions is, frankly, laughable. To most beat writers, the idea of a tough question is, "why didn't you walk Pujols in the seventh?" To me, tough questions would be:

"Mr. McClatchey, how is it possible for your organization to be so incompetent as to have fourteen straight losing seasons? Do you guys even have a clue what you are doing?"

"Mr. Clemens, doesn't your retirement/un-retirement act over the past few years make you look less like a great teammate and more like a selfish jerk? Particularly when you consider that it probably cost the Astros the NL Central title last year?"

"Gil Meche? Are you f-----g kidding me?"

No beat writer will actually ask any of these, because they are afraid of losing their access, that they'll be booted from the clubhouse and famous athletes will be mad and won't talk to them any more. Better to lob softballs and stay on everyone's good side. That's not journalism, that's stenography.