When I’ve done this kind of thing — and I most certainly have — it’s generally been directed at a ham-handed attorney who says something asinine in defense of someone indefensible who did something unforgivable.
Journalists may be a dying breed, but never let it be said that we are incapable of recognizing an easy target.
Yesterday, it was New York Times writer Matt Richtel setting his cross-hairs on the noggin of poor Bob Mesirow, head of operations for CTIA, a wireless industry trade organization. (I’ve never met “poor Bob;” just embellishing to make my point.) In his account of their conversation, Richtel describes proposing a system by which wireless users would be compensated for poor service, a suggestion to which Mr. Mesirow offered what a lawyer might call a non-responsive reply:
When phones don’t work, “frustration is the right emotion, but it should not be directed entirely at the carriers and wireless industry,” he said. “It should be directed at regulators who are not moving fast enough to provide more spectrum.”
Villain 1: The Regulators. Villain 2: The People.
“Think about how much better coverage would be if people didn’t say, ‘We don’t want that cellphone tower in our neighborhood,'” Mr. Mesirow said. “It works both ways.”
Although Richtel didn’t necessarily write it himself, the headline on the item — “Bad Cellphone Coverage? It’s Your Own Fault” — makes certain that no one misses the essence of Mr. Mesirow’s alleged sin.
But, at the risk of actually defending an industry spokesperson, I’ve got to ask: What exactly did Mr. Mesirow do here to incur such a public spanking.
Did he really say, as the headline and the gist of the story claim, that cell users are somehow to blame for the poor coverage and dropped calls they endure? Of course not, as no fair reading of Mr. Mesirow’s comments could be construed as such. (An unfair reading? Sure.)
What Mr. Mesirow really did was decline to answer the writer’s real question, the one about compensating users for poor service? (Had he said, “Sure, why not?” he’d be seeking a new job; had he said, “Not a chance,” his employer would be “the villain” … and he might be seeking a new job.)
So, instead of answering that no-win proposition, he chose to suggest that more spectrum and fewer NIMBY complaints might contribute to better overall service.
The industry advocate advocated for the industry.
And, in response to that temerity, the writer whacked him upside the head with a 2-by-snark.
Welcome regulars and passersby. Here are a few more recent Buzzblog items. And, if you’d like to receive Buzzblog via e-mail newsletter, here’s where to sign up.
I’m stuck in an effin’ elevator.
Reason No. 2 to resist filing a complaint with the FCC.
2009’s 25 Geekiest 25th Anniversaries.
Melissa virus turning 10 … (age of the stripper remains unknown).
Tweeting with “Star Trek” actor sparks kitchen fire?
40% of geeks surveyed admit to working … how many hours?
A few clean words from the creator of Cursebird.
Want to close your LendingTree account? Sorry, no can do.
