[Dialup Llama]

You are going to find that much 'journalism' is actually snagged from other articles- DEBKA Stratfor to name a few, and its not just the web blogs... 'real' newspapers too. Orginal reporting is time consuming, expensive and sometimes doesn't pan out.

As long as your output is high, the managers are not going to question how you get your info.

[holden]

Your comments reminded me of my dumbfounded, gaping, aghast revelation as I watched a tech journalist descending upon press kits at a computer convention.

This "professional" journalist raced through the tables, picking up $10-$25-to-prepare company packets of press releases, brochures, etc., seeming oblivious to the concerns of anyone around him. I thought he was flipping out.

Then, with a 24" stack of these, he stood near a trash can to winnow his hoarde, throwing 98% of it into the trash. Of what he was thinking I'm not certain, but it seemed he was muttering about his "areas of interest" or "what I know a lot about," or some such.

He kept a few press releases and a few glossy brochures. He chuckled and said something about "having done [that day's] column." I don't think he intended even to stop by the booths of the vendors whose press releases he had kept, though I quit following him around after that exposure to a "professional journalist" at work.

HF