What in the hell is an Effy?
Well, I decided that for my end of year posts, I wanted to create a fake award. As a result, I have created the Effy. Here is an explanation and then I will give the first award.
*** The Effy's ***
Over the next few weeks leading into the new year, I will be posting awards (of sorts) for people who are deserving of Effy's this year. An Effy is a fake award-type-deal that I made up just a few seconds ago. Where does the name Effy come from? I have found that it can be a lot more fun to use the abbreviated form of the F-word. Instead of using that other controversial word, I have taken to spelling it out as "eff" on my site. Now, I have taken that word and turned it into an award. Or, I guess it would be an anti-award assuming that nobody wants to receive one.
What qualifies a person for an Effy? General boneheadedness is a reason for an Effy. For example, it could be a political bonehead. It could be a celebrity bonehead. It could be someone who is just in the public eye for whatever reason. It could be me. It could be you. Doing something that makes me dislike you qualifies you for an Effy. It could be a conceptual human like, "cheap diner waitress" or "sub-human with whom I interacted in Circuit City." It could (and most definitely should) include those who are involved in sports. An Effy has many categories that are yet to be discovered.
The only rule is that you must have at least 3 nominees for every award. If you don't have nominees, then it is just an excuse for bitching. We all know that we don't need any more of those.
Article comments
1 - Eric Berlin
The Effy's sound very much like Howard Stern's Ef (or F) Emmys, which he has had for many years, commenorating the highlights and lowlights of his radio show. I'm not saying you should change the name, merely pointing out similar cultural phenomena.
It also might be interesting if you let readers comment on the nominees, add their own (if not vote), and argue it out for a little while before you announced the winner.
Just a few thoughts... good luck with this.
Eric Berlin
Dumpster Bust: Miracles from Mind Trash
http://dumpsterbust.blogspot.com
2 - Aaman
Neat, very neat - falafel head gets it - to put up there next to his pea (body)
3 - Craig Lyndall
My goal, actually, was to have others doing their own categories or the same categories with different nominees and outcomes. It just occurred to me that I needed a shtick this year. Sometimes you need a cattle prod, ya know?
4 - Temple Stark
Well two out of the four don't qualify as journalists. That would be O'Reilly and Geraldo who are commentators and talk show hosts.
The other two are anchors and used to be journalists. Good journalists
Need a better list, cause I was going to link this until I read it - but no I'm not going to put the list together. I 've got other things on my plate so I'll flake out on y'all.
Good idea. Poorly executed. You could CYA and put up a worst Reporter moment?
5 - Craig Lyndall
Aren't we curmudgeonly?
I see your point on O'Reilly, but didn't Rivera go with some military units and give REPORTS from the field in Iraq? Journalistic? Probably.
So, take it easy there, Mister Critical.
6 - Shark
Good stuff, Craig.
But you should be careful when playing with your braincells in public; you're starting to sound almost Sharklike -- which is its own punishment: it can only lead to a mental imbalance, massive ostracizing, and a lot of "critics".
Oh, and they'll accuse you of being "pissed".
7 - Craig Lyndall
Either that or they will threaten that they "were" going to link to you, but you didn't live up to their standards.
8 - Eric Berlin
News anchors aren't considered journalists? I think they would tend to differ, as they usually are the Managing Editors at whatever news network they work for.
Rather and Brokaw are sticking with CBS and NBC, respectively, and will be doing news analysis, specials, and so forth.
Finally, all four certainly consider themselves journalists, so from the standpoint of a proper category, I think you're fine.
Aren't semantics fun?
9 - Temple Stark
This site, from what I understand and using all my mental powers within me to remember, is called Blog "critics" Craig :)
Yeah, Geraldo qualifies. He just seems like such a cartoon character that I forget he at least plants himself in dangerous spots and pretends that they're more dangeorus.
But yeah, it's early here. And I'll have to stop now and do my dumb journalism thing ; )
10 - Craig Lyndall
I didn't take offense or anything. Just thought it was a bit ticky tack. I am really hoping some people will do their own Effy's, but I can dream right?
11 - Temple Stark
Holy crap. Just playing here Craig.
I didn't threaten - it was a mere statement. OK got it. Craig - no discernable sense of humor about his very important Effys. Check.
And I wasn't playing semantic games. My opinion is that they are not what i consider journalists (though Brokaw and Rather were). I don't care what they would call themselves and I wasn't asking Craig to change his categorization.
Good lord. Please note smiley faces all over my previous posts - meant to denote - "not taking this shit seriously" until someone says I'm threatening them.
Love. Temple
12 - Temple Stark
deep breath :)
13 - Eric Berlin
Hey Temple,
My only real reaction to all of this is to point out that Brokaw and Rather are *still* journalists. Just because they aren't sitting in front of teleprompter every evening for half an hour doesn't steal away the fact that both are journalists.
Rivera and O'Reilly, whatever your opinion of them, are also journalists. They report on the news, give their own analysis, interview people, and at least pretend to hold themselves to some level of journalistic standards. You may not like them and think that their standards are bogus, but that would make them -- in your opinion -- poor or fraudulent journalists, not non-journalists.
Finally, I'm the one playing at semantics, if anyone is (I'd put an emoticon here, if I used them...).
Cheers,
Eric Berlin
Dumpster Bust: Miracles from Mind Trash
http://dumpsterbust.blogspot.com
14 - Temple Stark
It comes down to a definition of journalism, so, yes semantics if I'm answering more seriously. If anyone who opens their mouth is a journalist .. well, no they're not.
I already agreed that Geraldo was., though he's hard to take seriously.
But no journalist I know or work with or have ever worked with thinks O' Reilly is a journalist. He has a talk show where his opinion dominates the conversation.
Or Don Imus. Or Howard Stern. Or Larry King. Is AL Franken a journalist? Is Rush Limbaugh? They all have shows, too.
Newspaper columnists are often thought of as journalists, but most of them who aren't self-important windbags acknowledge they do things a little differently.
Eric makes a good point about the network anchors having more say in what's going on then just reading the news. An Editor isn't necessarily a journalist either, though he or she hopefully has been.
Yes, I am passionate about people understanding what I do for a living. And no, I haven't explained it to the best of my ability here. But it's a start.
15 - Eric Berlin
Temple -
In all seriousness then, what is your definition of a journalist? What activities do they perform (even the poor ones) that O'Reilly et al do not?
I might just have a broader definition of journalist than you do -- and perhaps I'm incorrect. For instance, I would consider an editor at a newspaper to be a journalist because he or she shapes coverage of the news, edits news stories, oversees layout, hires freelance writers, etc.
Now, maybe this sounds bizarre, but I would put O'Reilly in the journalist camp because he hosts a "news program" in which he introduces news stories, provides analysis, and interviews guests.
I might agree with you if you can provide a tighter definition that I can live with.
Eric Berlin
Dumpster Bust: Miracles from Mind Trash
http://dumpsterbust.blogspot.com
16 - Craig Lyndall
I guess I just use the broadest definition of the word. What I was trying to do was find some people to put as nominees for my little award here.
Let's just hope this doesn't get all crazy when people read the Effy for the Worst Teen Princess.
I think maybe I will do sports next.
17 - mort snert
yeeesh, all this because Brokaw said bukkake?