I read with interest your story about the Internet
being the future of journalism and was particularly
fascinated by your final graf. As one of the people who
produce the arts and entertainment content for inRich.
com, I was naturally curious about the complaint that
was expressed. (I am well aware that people dislike my
reviews, and I’m fine with it. It comes with the territory).
But what really grabbed me was the way the workshop
was abruptly ended. Was it because of the complaint?
Who ended it? Was an explanation given? And was
the workshop pretty much ending, anyway?
Obviously, we in the press can’t allow voices to be
stifled because they disagree with us. So I think this
is more than mere curiosity on my part.
Dan Neman- Richmond Times-Dispatch
Editor’s note:
At the “Future of Media” workshop last Tuesday, a
man in the crowd was selected to ask the final question
of a Q-and-A session. The man complained about the
quality of writing by inRich.com’s staff writers.
Michael Fibison, who represented InRich.com as the
general manager for Central Virginia in Media General’s
Interactive Division, asked the man if he had written
a letter to the editor. The man said no. Then, the man
continued speaking, and after a few moments, the moderator
interrupted, saying it was time to go. The moderator
did not thank or address the speakers. People then filed
out of the lecture hall.
Moderator Marcus Messner, assistant professor of mass
communications, sent an e-mail to the CT to clarify why
he ended the workshop quickly.
“I just read your article in the CT about our ‘Future
of the Media’ event and just want to clarify that we did
not abruptly end the panel because of a critical question
by a student. We just had run out of time and needed to
end at that point. I even introduced it as the last question
when I pointed to that student,” he stated.