Our cousins across the pond

Scottish journalist Alex Massie, currently marooned in Washington DC, meditates on the differences between American and British journalistic culture:

This post reminded me of a terrific piece Sarah Lyall (one of the NYT's under-appreciated stars) wrote for Slate a couple of years ago. She made the mistake of attending the British Press Awards dinner. The Pulitzers these are not. Most papers crow about their own successes while failing to even report the existence of winners from other titles. Happily, however, there are enough award ceremonies for almost everyone to claim the title "Newspaper of the Year". In their own way, the hacks treat these awards with the proper level of contempt and, since no-one spends all year dreaming of ways to win them we are at least spared the epic, 17-part thumb-sucking series on "Life" or "Death" or "Being a Deaf Quadraplegic" the American papers publish in a bid to win Pulitzers...

Mental note: scratch pitch to the London Times on the secret lives of carpoolers.

Comments

A short request to everybody in the whole world:

Please, I implore you, never ever refer to the Atlantic Ocean as 'the pond' again.

Thanking you in advance,
Everybody else in the whole world

Posted by Michael Farris | October 3, 2007 1:40 PM

An article that makes you proud to be British.

Seriously, as journalists are my main informants about the world, the last thing I want is for them to get friendly with each other and start acting unitedly.

Posted by ad | October 3, 2007 2:20 PM

Michael Farris wrote: Please, I implore you, never ever refer to the Atlantic Ocean as 'the pond' again.

[begin:affect_a_British]

(First Man) Rightey-O, then. It really was less of a Pond and more of a Small Lake anyway. Say, that might work! Let's go with that, Men. From now on, it shall be known as the Small Lake which was formerly called the Pond, but which is no longer called the Pond; for it is the Small Lake.

(Second Man) The Small Lake?

(First Man) Which was formerly known as the Pond.

(Third Man) Formerly?

(First Man) Right.

(Second Man) But sir, I'm a bit confused about all that. Isn't a Small Lake and awfully lot like a Pond?

(Third Man) He's got a point, he does.

(First Man) Well, no, you've got to understand that a Small Lake is slightly bigger than a pond, see.

(Second Man) Slightly bigger than a pond?

(Third Man) Wouldn't that be more like a lake, then?

(First Man) Well, a Small Lake, yes --

(Third Man) No, I mean just more like a regular lake. A small lake would just be a pond.

(First Man) Well, yes, but -- I mean no! Small Lake. We must understand that it is a Small Lake.

(Third Man) I can't buy that logic, I can't. It's either a Lake or a Pond. It can't be halfway in between.

(First Man) Well, I --

(Second Man) Y'know, I think I agree with my friend here. I can't call it a Small Lake in good coscience. It just doesn't seem fair to the Ponder's Union, and they've done so much for us.

(Third Man) Say, I remember that Union. I think I still have my card -- here it is! Well, that settles it for me. I can't call it a Small Lake either. It's a Pond. Why in the dickens must we be stupid and call it a Small Lake?

(First Man) I--I don't know! It really is a Pond! But because some bloody Yank across the Pond -- I mean, Small Lake -- can't stand a little colloquial Small Pondery. I mean Lakery. I mean -- oh, blast it all! Bugger him, say I!

(Altogether) Bugger him, say we!

(Begin Chourus)OH, A FINE POND IT EVER WAS! AND A FINE POND IT SHALL EVER BE!

etc.

[end:British]

Posted by anony-mouse | October 3, 2007 3:18 PM

If the Academy Awards were like that, I'd actually watch them.

Posted by Dan | October 4, 2007 3:11 AM

"scratch pitch to the London Times on the secret lives of carpoolers."

Weird enough that Robbie might actually buy it.

Posted by Tim Worstall | October 4, 2007 8:14 AM