Andrew Marr on bloggers - socially inadequate, pimpled, single, slightly seedy, bald

Now, I am not Andrew Marr's biggest fan, I personally think he is one of the group of journalists who think that they are are more important than many of their guests and who treat politicians with no respect whatsoever and just constantly talk over them instead of asking a question and then letting the guest answer it.

However, I do think his rant against bloggers is somewhat over the top.

Andrew Marr, speaking at a Cheltenham Literature Festival audience, said:

"Most citizen journalism strikes me as nothing to do with journalism at all,"

He then, once warmed up, went on;

A lot of bloggers seem to be socially inadequate, pimpled, single, slightly seedy, bald, cauliflower-nosed, young men sitting in their mother's basements and ranting. They are very angry people.

OK – the country is full of very angry people. Many of us are angry people at times. Some of us are angry and drunk. But the so-called citizen journalism is the spewings and rantings of very drunk people late at night.

As a blogger, I take exception at Marr's comments - I have never claimed to be a journalist nor do I state my writings are journalism, although on occasion I get a story out there before journalists and have in fact been linked to by journalists.

Nor am I socially inadequate, pimpled, single (I am getting married next year), slightly seedy (okay, he may have me on that one), bald (balding but not bald), cauliflower-nosed, young or in my mother's basement.

The final one is possibly correct when I write sometimes, angry.  Yes, sometimes I am angry and today is one of those days.

Once again one of our elite journalists think they are above everyone else and generalise on a level that is somewhat amazing - and yet if a blogger did that, what would Marr call them then?
I will leave the final word to Roy Greenslade of the Daily Telegraph blog;

But I'm surprised at the Marr assault because he is usually so thoughtful. Aside from the paradox of him indulging in a rant to complain about other ranters, it is the one-sidedness of his argument that is so striking.