SIVACRACY.NET

This is sad, but all too common. About once a month I get an e-mail from a student asking me to write some long e-mail to be used for some school assignment. Usually it's about copyright, so I can just tell them that everything I have to say about copyright is in my books. But sometimes it's just a scattershot request that sounds a bit too much like a lazy way to do research. "Let's write a professor! He'll tell us everything we need to know."

This evening, as I was travelling from Minneaopolis home, I got this amazing e-mail from an NYU student I have never met:

Hello, My name is R____ and I am a student in Professor C_____'s Media Ethic's class. For part of my final project, my group is analyzing the website www.thesmokinggun.com as an online tabloid. However, to either prove or disprove that the site is in fact a tabloid we need a scholarly definition of a tabloid. I was hoping that with your expertise in the media you could provide me with 4 characteristics (at least) of a typical tabloid so that we can qualitatively analyze the site. This may be a nuisance, but please define each characteristic that you offer. Also, since we are examining the internet, the size difference between a printed tabloid and traditional press is not necessary, but all other characteristics from print tabloids should transfer to the internet as well. Please respond as soon as possible. Thank you for your help and consideration. Sincerely, R____

Here is my reply:

Dear R____:

I hope I am not out of line asking this, but what would YOU say are the characteristics of a tabloid? Please define each characteristic that you offer.

I am very curious to hear what you would come up with. After all, you are in a media ethics class and presumably study media with some interest and curiosity.

So yes, this question, received by e-mail without introduction, conversation, or even recognition of the sort of work that I do, is a nuisance.

See, I have never ever ever written anything about the genres of journalism. At least I can't remember if I have. If I had, you would certainly have found my description of a tabloid in the scholarly literature or on my blog. But, after doing a quick search of the electronic databases provided for you by this fine university I can find nothing written by me on this subject.

I wonder, are you in the habit of asking NYU professors to do your homework for you?

Please respond as soon as possible.

Siva