I couldn’t agree more that journalists need to watch the degree to which they share their opinions inside and outside the newsrooms where they work. However, as Eric Newton of the Knight Foundation once said (and I’m paraphrasing here), this nation is going to be in big trouble when journalists don’t stick up for the First Amendment loudly, proudly — and publicly.

That’s precisely what SPJ, one of the nation’s largest and oldest journalism-advocacy groups, does. SPJ’s mission is multifaceted, but we’re especially focused on journalism ethics and helping everyone (not just journalists) have access to public information.

The latter necessitates conversations with public officials. It’s just great that we can use the Internet to ferret out the truth — but we also should be able to demand directly from our government much of the information it gathers and maintains in our name.

As I tried to make clear during my talk, I don’t at all believe journalists should be in the business of lobbying Congress. But there are issues that so profoundly threaten our ability to present accurate and fair information that we must speak up.

As the previous poster noted, the news media appear too engaged in speculation and “blonde bimbo” watching. I couldn’t help but think that when I looked for an ounce of news coverage about what stands to be the most significant reform in decades of the federal Freedom of Information Act.

If anything I said at the National Press Club inspired anyone to get off his or her lazy ass, then so be it. And please, don’t stand behind me. Ideally you’ll stand behind SPJ — or learn how to stand up for yourself.

The once powerful and respected press is either Making “chit” up about Iraq, Bush and anything they have an agenda for or:

They are gathered around Paris Hilton’s Jailcell hoping to get a glimpse of the Blonde Bimbo turned Intellectual due to her epithianic moment that 30 whole days in jail has given her.