JL Media’s Rich Russo had a few thoughts on a recent anonymous article about Citadel from a former ABC Radio Networks employee.
"I read with horror and a dropped jaw the article called the Fall of Citadel, the horror and dropped jaw had nothing to do with anything in the article. It had to do with the fact that it was a straight bash piece by a former disgruntled employee who doesn’t even have the balls to identify himself. Over the years I’ve done my fair share of making my opinions known and never hid behind "anonymous", I’ve gone off on many things through interviews and articles in the trades that have caused some uncomfortable moments at industry events etc (although most of the uncomfortableness is usually due to the food at these things). As someone who states his beliefs be it popular or unpopular but never behind "anonymous", I am appalled that this article was allowed to run in RBR.
One purpose of being anonymous in a story is when you are offering up valuable info that needs to get out there to generate a resolution or a correction on something and keeping your anonymity lets you continue your current job while still feeding info for that resolution down the road.
Think of "deep throat", the Watergate situation, not the x rated movie, although in both cases there were a lot of balls, unlike the weasel who wrote that article who has no balls. Mark Felt and Harry Reems would not be proud of this person.
It doesn’t mean that this weasel can’t have an opinion and that this weasel may not make some good points, but when you write something under a rock and hide; it loses any validity and really it doesn’t offer anything to the reader. There was no scoop in that article, nothing that changes anything, nothing that even makes you think, it’s just someone pissed off; who is so afraid that they’d lose their current job if they were linked to this 3rd grade smear. And by the way the legendary ABC stations weren’t exactly the best run radio stations either before Citadel got involved.
We are in a weird place right now where everybody thinks they are a writer, a commentator due to blogs and chatrooms etc and in some cases that may be good, but in this situation through this vehicle (RBR) that’s unacceptable because this has been a forum that lets the industry write articles etc, and all different levels of personnel have written their thoughts down and have always been upfront on who they are. This is not the case here and it’s appalling and considering the tone of this article and lack of tangible scoop etc, this doesn’t merit anonymity whatsoever.
Hey, weasel, come out from under your rock and show yourself and then we will respect your opinions until then you have no balls, no guts, no courage and really no purpose…
