Haters

Hey readaz.

G and I were talking this weekend, and we noted that we’re in two of the least-respected professions in America. It seems 38% of respondents to a Gallup poll rated lawyers as a low or very-low respected profession, while the same survey in 2004 found only 16% of people rated newspaper reporters as “high or very high” in respect. (TV reporters had 23% approval – WTF?)

What’s up with this? My theory is that lawyers and reporters are most visible at the same time that they’re at their worst. People tune in to the news when something bad happens, so there’s already the subconscious association of reporter = bad happening. Then you add in the endless TV shots of victims crying while being asked, “How do you feel?” and things look even more invasive. (Nevermind that there’s a huge demand for such stuff.) Why are newspaper reporters ranked lower than TV? I think the negative side of TV washes off onto the newspaper, as a newspaper frequently breaks the negative story in the first place (when was the last time TV news broke a scandal of any kind that required number-crunching analysis?) and print reporters generally aren’t the polished, beautiful people we see on TV. It’s a lot easier to forgive and forget with a blow-dried smiling dude than it is with a gruff, cheap-suited newspaper bulldog.

As for lawyers, when I hear “attorney”, the first person who comes to mind after G is Edgar Snyder (“391-2101!”), accident and injury lawyer from the Burgh. Edgar apparently has one of the bigger ad budgets among Pittsburgh law firms, with Berger and Green seemingly in a close second. These guys are in every city, and their advertising is ubiquitous, so ambulance-chasing isn’t hurting for brand recognition. The other time lawyers make a major media appearance is with high-profile criminal trials. When it’s a case where the public has made its mind up in favor of a guilty verdict, they’re going to have a hard time liking the defense lawyers who are arguing the opposite.

Anyway, all you readaz should remember that for every Geraldo, there’s a Helen Thomas; and for every Berger and Green, there’s a well-respected judge. Peace.