Maryland Business

By: jackie.sauter

As if journalism needs something else to lessen its credibility in this age of talking heads on TV and talk radio powered by hot-air windbags, Joe the Plumber has decided to be a war correspondent in Israel for a conservative news site.

Apparently installing toilets and hot water heaters goes hand in hand with being a foreign correspondent and having in-depth knowledge of international affairs. Even just superficial knowledge might qualify for the Web, but unless he’s been unclogging toilets in the Gaza Strip, how much more could he possibly know beyond your “average Joe”?

Obviously, a site that would hire a prop from the recent election as a war correspondent is aiming for a very unbiased, “fair and balanced” angle. Maybe they can hire Alberto Gonzales to cover the gradual closing of Guantanamo Bay.

I’m just happy for my carpenter brother, who can finally fulfill his dream of putting his hammer down and taking a hard, journalistic look at the Indian-Pakistani issue of Kashmir.

FRANCIS SMITH, Special Publications Assistant Editor