On that subject, hope I didn't cause offence with any journo remarks, but this one is particularly bad.
You certainly didn't offend me. :wink:
Hacks have to have tough skins - we couldn't do our job otherwise. I may occasionally defend my profession if I think the criticism is unfair. Also as a hack, I do have a reasonable understanding of the flow of information that leads to a "story" getting published. But much of the criticism of the media is entirely justified. For instance, the behaviour of "lobby" journalists in the build-up to the Iraq War was a national disgrace.
Btw - here's a list of most and least respected professions:
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The top ten most respected professions, listed in order, were - doctor; nurse; teacher; fireman; paramedic; Army/Navy/RAF; scientist; ambulance driver; police officer; care assistant.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The top ten least respected professions, listed in order, were - MP; estate agent; government minister; lawyer; journalist; footballer; advertising executive; car dealer; company director; accountant.[/FONT]
http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2002/05_may/29/respected_profession.shtml