In my early years as a blogger I could be quite nasty toward journalists I disagree with. I received e-mails from a few of them taking me to task, not for questioning their work, but for personally attacking them. Rather than simply disagreeing with them or offering a counterpoint, I often mocked their work, personalities and even their appearance.

In short, I was acting like an asshole.

Most bloggers I’ve followed over the years don’t behave like this toward the hockey punditry, but there’s several who do. It’s little wonder some in the MSM get testy when they’re criticized by these folks.

I’ve also encountered several bloggers dismissive of the mainstream media, considering themselves part of the “new media” poised to change hockey coverage forever. These same folks, however, rely heavily on the MSM for source material. They didn’t want to admit it, but they need the mainstream media. Without them, many bloggers would have little, if anything, to write about.

It’s easy to consider bloggers, especially influential ones, as “keeping the media honest”. That implies, however, the hockey media as a whole are misleading their readers with lazy reportage. That’s simply not true. Having worked alongside hockey beat writers at various NHL events over the years, I have considerable respect for what they do.

Lyle Richardson of Spector's Hockey where you can read more on this topic.