The recent Mike Richards exchange with the Philadelphia media members brings up some interesting points in a continuing conversation concerning bloggers and traditional reporters. What the back-and-forth and the subsequent articles and posts concerning it have highlighted are the different angles that traditional journalists take versus bloggers when covering your favorite teams.

It is in the journalist's creed to report accurately and without bias, which is maybe the opposite of the bloggers creed that resembles more of an evolving Wikipedia entry than a concrete statement on ethics. Why it becomes difficult to compare the work of journalists and bloggers is that while the former consider themselves a type of public servant providing objective truth to their readers, bloggers pride themselves on their blatant subjective fandom in many cases. We started writing this blog because we're Flyers fans, not as an avenue to a writing career. So whereas a reporter might feel the obligation to write about the Flyers going out and partying 5 times last season I can decide I just don't give a shit and not write anything on it. But there's the main difference - they're trying to find the truth, I'm trying to find what's interesting as a fan. And that means sometimes I have to use more than game recaps and interviews, and it's those times when we venture into satire, hyperbole, and straight up bullshit.

But over time, even though the two styles have completely different purposes, the internet has become a battle ground for the two groups to fight it out because of the similarity that exists in each's final product. We're doing the same thing, just approaching it in a different way. And when you have so many people doing the same thing and the only difference is that your product appears in a print format that's popularity is steadily declining, well I can't see how you wouldn't be a little pissed and a little worried.

And Mike Richards' interview from after Sunday's game is a perfect example of how the two groups see things differently. Mike Richards went over the local media's head to a an internationally published magazine and roughed them up a bit. So what - as a fan I loved it. As a blogger I thought it's the least some of the local writers deserved for being boring. And then a reporter fires back at him minutes after a game because what? His feelings were hurt? His integrity was challenged? It's just weak sauce and it's one of the main reasons that bloggers and reporters don't get along for the most part in this area. IN a survey done at the Flyers blog on SB Nations, Broad Street hockey, 78% of almost 1,000 voters thought that Richards was totally in the right for calling out the Philly media. Even Scott Brown would call that a landslide. A lot of the media act like a bunch of little kids coveting some toy while bloggers are right next to them playing with the very same toy, but they think if they don't look and see us using it then it's not real.

This post (dare I say article) would be better received coming from someone who is neither a journalist or a blogger. As it were I don't think a journalist would ever address the situation openly and bloggers address it daily.

I was standing in my kitchen last night thinking:

1. What if I liked, or even loved, what I did for a living?
2. What if someone came along that started doing it for free?
3. What if they were good? What if they weren't?

Put basically, no matter what, there would be a giant power struggle and a lot of confusion.

There is a very strange dynamic at work here that could only happen in an industry where it's fairly easy to create something out of nothing. Where the only skills you need are an opinion and a computer. You can't take on GM and start making your own cars for free. You can't create a successful internet search engine for free in an attempt to challenge Google. And it feels strange to write this because I've never considered myself as a person involved with them, but the arts…

You can write for free, draw, paint, create music, design clothes, all for free. In the later 4 you're either VERY successful or you're not at all. You either strike it rich or eventually have to give up. But in writing you can be VERY successful like Steven King, Pretty successful like David Eggers, fairly successful like a Rick Riley, or successful like a local beat writer for a newspaper. Or you can be a blogger who writes as a hobby and publishes as much, or in many cases more, work than the professionals.

In other artistic fields it's also infinitely more difficult to criticize the professionals. Even in music it would have to be with words - like taking a shot at Lil' Wayne (figuratively) in a song of yours. But in writing you get the chance with every sentence. And how can you resist some times? It's human nature to disagree with people occasionally. As it is to be jealous. And face it, if you're writing as a hobby the opportunity cost for your time is significantly higher as you more than likely also have a full time job. So it's no wonder that bloggers often take shots at beat writers. It could very, very easily be a two way street if many beat writers didn't chose to pretend that blogs didn't exists - shit, it might even be better for their writing to tear down the opinions of some new media.

But we're here. We're queer. And we want to get married on the ocean.

In recent months, as our readership has grown, I've tried not criticize the Philadelphia media. And after thinking long and hard about it I realized that I made that decision only because it's too easy. It makes me feel like I'm picking on someone that can't fight back. But it's not that they can't fight back, they just think that if they address us then they'll provide us with legitimacy - which could ultimately lead to their demise. Well guess what - we'll be as legitimate as we want with or without you.

Tim Panaccio, one of the 4 local media members I read and like, started off at the Inquirer in 1986 (as far as I can tell). He wrote some obituaries before graduating to local sports, including coverage of the local high school football scene. 25 years later he's the local chair of the Professional Hockey Writer's Association and the leading authority on what's going on in the organization. It took a lot of hard work for him to get to where he is. I went to Blogspot in 2007 and started a blog in 3 minutes. I can understand why he or anyone else would think the writing done here is a joke. But joke or not it's here. So the sooner everyone gets used to it the sooner we can begin to close this gap and find out if there isn't an even better way to bring people Flyers news (or not news) they want to read.