Hyperion writes on XPT: "When it comes to porn it seems clear that he is incredibly biased and yet he chastises the MSM for not doing it’s job? Now I hope Luke reads this and understand that it isn’t a personal attack but more in the lines of an ongoing curiosity about the divergence in his outlook on journalism. Can you be anti-porn and report on it in an unbiased (hidden or not) manner?"
Vanessa responds:
Why would anyone want to report anything in an unbiased manner? That would be hypocritical, in addition to being boring. Also, I thought unbiased reporting was the sole domain of News Corp. – "Fair and Balanced" TM
I say that pretending to be reporting "the" truth in an unbiased manner is an act of hypocrisy. Why? Because the truth is very expensive to come by, and a one man outfit who "needs to maximize its returns" (as Luke Ford put it himself once) doesn’t have the resources to do so. So it’s more honest to drop that pretense from the get go. Even the "news" rooms at major broadcasters have no resources to investigate and research "the truth".
"The truth" is the domain of religion, corporate intelligence units and governments. Not to bore you with clichés, you know the iconic inscription in the lobby of the Original Headquarters Building of the CIA:
"And Ye Shall Know the Truth and the Truth Shall Make You Free" – John 8:32
Still, sometimes there is more truth and integrity to be found in a little bit of porn gossip then on the front pages of national newspapers.
Hyperion writes:
I would tend to agree with you, its just my sense that Luke would like to have it both ways though. He’s been hard charging on the Mayor’s affair, his marriage and the feeling that the MSM wasn’t doing enough to uncover the ‘truth’ – whatever it is.
I think a lot of people would be a lot more accepting of Luke if he chose which side of the fence he should be on. He at least from my eyes, wants to be part of the porn industry , and then again he doesn’t. There is such a thing as honest critiques and criticism.
A good piece I read was from years ago by Bethany Mclean who wrote the first article asking an open question upon how Enron actually said they made money. She didn’t outright accuse Enron of fraud at that time but she laid out a trail of events that led not just those in the Ivory towers to ask questions, but the average investor as well..
Luke is in the position he has created for himself in the porn industry of both being an insider and an outsider. by being an insider to an extent he may find himself in a position of not reporting an accurate and important story because of the relationships he has built to be an insider in porn and to keep those contacts. But he also tries to appear to be an outsider in the sense that it seems he has a moral problem [ or at least an internal conflict] when it comes to the idea of the Adult Industry. and to an extent its part of the responsibility of the situation with Luke lies within the industry itself for the simple reason is that people still talk to him. for the most part gossip, which is human nature and for the most part of little day-to-day relevance
While being a one man show definitely has its drawbacks, it also has the advantage of being free to print without the fear of a story being spiked because its to ‘sensitive’ , something else he mentioned on his other blog the other day.That being said there are all kinds of stories within the Adult Business, I imagine its like any other commercial enterprise with its people practicing good and bad business. And yet is seems just as a general overview Luke spends a fair amount of time focusing on items that have little interest for those working in or being customers of that industry to inform them, but focuses on the Adult Industry and creates stories that appeal to those who would like to see the Industry made illegal and stopped.