As someone who doesn't have any professional training or education for the job that i have, Smith's attitude really tightens my jaws. It also seems a bit heavy-handed, like the aging veteran unwilling to embrace change. Oh, and while circulation for most (every?) newspaper in the country (world?) drops at an alarming rate, he might want to be a bit nicer to the people who may end up giving his old, tired ass a job sometime soon.

Seriously? People have to be trained to voice their opinions?

This coming from an ass clown who has zero credibility. There's a reason a lot of people don't watch ESPN anymore. He's one of those reasons.

"More important are the level of ethics and integrity that comes along with the quote-unqoute profession hasn’t been firmly established and entrenched in the minds of those who’ve been given that license."

Hey Stevey...setting aside the utter disregard for the First Amendment your opinions display, that's a pretty poorly constructed sentence coming from a "trained professional."

And I know you were speaking, not writing, but I've read your writing and it isn't much better.

Methinks the bloggers scare you not because they're "untrained" or "unethical" but because they are "better writers" than "you."

Am I the only one who finds it ironic that he's complaining about bloggers, to a blog?

"And when you look at the internet business, what’s dangerous about it is that people who are clearly unqualified get to disseminate their piece to the masses."

Yes, I imagine he feels much like the priests did just after the masses learned how to read and write and they lost their power.

More important are[sic] the level of ethics and integrity that comes along with the quote-unqoute [sic, and ironically VERY professional, not] profession hasn’t been firmly established and entrenched in the minds of those who’ve been given that license.

Ha ha ha ha Dan Rather ha ha ha ha ha.

You a funny Dude, Mr. Stephen A.

"[S]omeone with no training should not be allowed to have any kind of format whatsoever to disseminate to the masses to the level which they can."

Hard to get more un-American than that.

Mr Smith hates freedom. Good to know. Mr Smith, the quality of many internet bloggers with no formal training is so much higher than the crap you scream about on ESPN day to day that it makes me cry. I can't believe you get paid, and then scream about how you hate the freedom of speech, because the internet said something not nice about you.

Mr Smith, blogs are providing more insightful, more interesting, and more technical sports news than you or ESPN is. Period. They are doing your job better than you are, which is why they are popular.

Yeah, I hate freedom of expression too.

Wow...that's some pretty stupid stuff to say, that people need "credentials" to be "allowed" to "disseminate to the masses". Somebody slept through civics class. Here's a refresher: in America, nobody has to "allow" you to have an opinion, credentials or no. It's called the marketplace of ideas, maybe you as a "journalist" should look that up.

Smith's exercise in stupidity reminds me of why there's so many bloggers out there. Newsflash, Smith: Many people who write opinion pieces from their home computers are a hell of a lot more articulate, experienced, and smarter than a race-baiting (Bonds, Duke) elitist "sportscaster"who can't spell "elocuting" let alone know what it means. Do us all a favor, Smith. Stick to "analyzing" sports. Your attempt to denigrate bloggers makes you look like an abject fool.

Hey Stephen thanks for the blogger xenophobia. How about that a guy who makes buggy whips complaining about the Model T...

I entered a blogging contest at FoxSports, was a finalist, did an ESPN AM radio show, became a FOXSports contributor and also do weekly sports profiles for The Cadillac Of series at MSN.

All of which happened over the course of a year and a half, what's the Inky ever done for me? For that matter, what have you?

Take care of your own business and leave the new media where it belongs, out of the hands of the same old temple dogs who restricted it to a handful of bitter guys like yourself...

Best of luck being a talking head your scribbling days are gone-daddy-gone.

The attack on the internet blogs is really ridiculous. It makes it look like Steven A. Smith is making comments because so many in the internet take him to task for his poor writing, obnoxious schtick and faulty reporting. Who are you to judge the credentials of persons who post on the internet? Further, what makes you think you are so much more qualified than other persons or possess a stronger sense of ethcis or integrity? It would be pretty boring if we only had "experts" to listen to rather than average joes. The position taken by Steven A is that of an intellectual elitist. The average joes apparently cannot discern truth from fiction or think rationally. They need experts to tell them how things are. The funny thing is, based upon watching and reading Steven A, I fail to see anything thought-provoking or intellectual at all. Finally, perhaps those persons who are writing on the internet have the educational degrees on par or superior to most reporters. Maybe it is just a hobby that they do in their free time. I, and I am sure many others, would put my educational background against Steven A.'s on any day.

Hello from Germany. 1) who is this Smith pogue? 2) why does he think it's ok to suppress bloggers' freedom of speech? 3) in what dictatorship was he raised (liberal plantations?)? 4) What outfit would be dumb enough to hire this guy? 5) why have i spent so much time thinking about a liberal, fascist, idiot? Nite.

"And when you look at the internet business, what’s dangerous about it is that people who are clearly unqualified get to disseminate their piece to the masses. I respect the journalism industry, and the fact of the matter is ...someone with no training should not be allowed to have any kind of format whatsoever to disseminate to the masses to the level which they can."

Heil Hitler or should I say Heil Herr Smith. What an ass.

Someone with no training should not GET PAID for disseminating pieces to the masses. That's the real difference between a professional like you and an amateur-just-for-fun writer like me. Good or bad? That's for readers to decide.

How's that measured? through viral sharing and number of hits.

"Clearly unqualified"?

Shall we talk about Jason Blair? Or Dan Rather? Shall I continue?

How about blowing the whistle on Rather? Done by (horrified gasp) bloggers, right?

Now, do I believe everything I read at the various web sites? Do I believe every thing I read in the print MSM? Do I believe everything that I hear/see on radio/TV?

If I have an interest in the subject, I'll spend an hour or so doing a little basic research.

Most of my writings at my blog take the form of OPINION, which is not claimed to be fact, but is based on the facts as (mostly) reported by the MSM - and that's exactly how I advise my (sarcasm alert) legions of rabid readers (/sarcasm alert) in the headline of Old Wierd Ward

When I went to college, Journalism courses provided an uplift to a sliding GPA due to good times. Smith's sense of intellectual superiority is laughable. We all know what Bob Knight thinks of journalists. Unlike Smith, most bloggers understand that they are merely stating an opinion and not gospel. Apparently Mr. Smith believes he has been declared an expert by his creator and his "gospel" should somehow carry more weight. ESPN and the opinions expressed there mean little because I am capable of making my own judgements. Mass communications today clearly show that bloogers are generally more informed than the ESPN elites. Bloggers show more intellectual honesty because they admit they are agenda driven. Everyone knows that. Mr. Smith and most sports journalists simply try to hide their agendas through "professionalism." The only thing that makes these guys professionals is the fact that they are paid for their agenda driven opinions. Does anyone out there think that Bob Knight is wrong? Smith clearly proves what the General knows.

Haha i've known for a while this guy is a moron. Whenever i see him on ESPN, CNN or anywhere else, i change the channel immediately.