One more reason to be wary of the press… one of our favorite housebloggers, Kristin of 1902 Victorian, was recently tricked by a writer for the WSJ. She unwittingly became part of a none-too-flattering story about DIY’ers gone wild. The story, which Kristin understood to be about the camraderie and community surrounding a “renovation party”, turned out to be a cautionary tale of why sawzalls and scotch don’t mix.
I’d be the first to tell you that drinking and demolition don’t mix. But Kristin has talked about her town’s renovation parties before, and not one of her stories started with “After shotgunning PBR’s in the driveway…” She’s one of the most sincere and thoughtful housebloggers I follow, which is why it really chaps my ass that they used a photo of her in their story. (But Kristin – at least you had the dust mask on and look all safety-conscious!)
Read the WSJ story, ” The Three Martini Renovation,” and check out Kristin’s report on how it all went down here. And watch your backs when reporters come calling… it seems they’re not all looking to glorify your AMAZING hard work!
Comments, Thoughts, and Feedback
As a writer, I occasionally come across someone who’s wary to talk to me for precisely this reason — some other writer has come along and misrepresented them. I suppose it happens to every writer, but it still makes me sad.
I thought that ethics were a large part of the education surrounding journalism. But really, the way this country has seemingly gone wild and the totally biased and unreliable crumminess that has become the mainstream media I’m not surprised at all.
Thanks for the post, Mindy! And Derrick, yes, that’s exactly why it annoys me so – this kind of thing makes it worse for all reporters.
I was interviewed for this article, and having read the result I’m glad I didn’t have anything she wanted to use. I couldn’t figure out her angle – she kept asking if we had “parties” during rennovation. And, did I serve alcohol?
We love to hear from you, dear readers.