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Wednesday, July 08, 2009

Bronsongate - Enquirer columnist violates Terms of Service?

Photo courtesy of here.

A couple days ago, we brought you the story about vanity publisher and Enquirer columnist Peter Bronson presenting a doctored photo as if it were real. We followed up the next day with another piece showing Bronson’s weird attempt at saving face—while at the same time watching the original post totally disappear from the Enquirer’s web page. Today, Bronsongate enters the third phase, wherein the outdated hack appears to violates his own paper’s terms of service, continuing to post chest-thumping blog items that barely make sense. For Pete’s sake!

The Enquirer reserves the right to censor any blog comment that violates their terms of service. When they do it, they usually leave a fingerprint, indicating that a comment has been removed for that reason.

In yesterday’s not-quite-apology from Bronson, he posted this comment:

PeterBronson wrote:
Lots of name-calling and lectures about journalism from people who wouldn’t know a deadline from a byline. I always wondered what kind of people would vote for Al Franken. I guess now I have an answer.

As for mistakes, here’s how it works in a newsroom. Nobody hates them more than we do. But we are also philosophical. Anyone who has been in the business knows they happen. You cannot write and publish hundreds of thousands of words every day without a mistake now and then. Readers who treat that like they have just found the map to the lost mine of journalism conspiracy need to lay off the crack pipe and get a life.

When we make a mistake, we correct it and move on. I have no idea what some of you do for a living, but I can tell by your self-righteous indignation that you have never made a mistake. Ever. Or maybe you are just hypocrites. Take a look in the mirror. Figure it out.
7/7/2009 6:44 PM EDT

Here is a screenshot archive of the comment.

Is this the same comment, however, that disappeared and was replaced with a message about violating the terms of service? Did Bronson just repost it, or did he say something even more childish than the comment above dated 7/7?

In the screenshot above, you’ll see the deleted comment right underneath one from someone named “CincyGrrl.” Here is a permalink to CincyGrrl’s comment, and underneath (as of this posting, anyway) you can see the deleted comment for violating terms of service. The date is 7/6.

Whatever the case, Bronson seems to be having some issues with his blog, his blog readers, and understanding his own employer’s terms of service. Today, Bronson has another strange item, threatening his readers with “bouncers” if they don’t learn how to behave. If only we could read behind the lines, perhaps we could discern that some of his latest offers foreshadowing into his future with the Enquirer:

So it’s time to bang a shot-glass on the bartop and issue a warning: Clean it up, or the bouncer will come to your table. And he won’t be taking an order.

In bartending, we called that the “86”—a code to cut someone off who has obviously had way too much to drink. You start be ingoring them, and if that doesn’t work, you show them the door.

Some of you—and you know who you are—are long over due for an 86.

Based on Bronson’s behavior this week—and the negative national attention he’s earned—one must wonder if he’s in need of being bounced. Is this what the descent to retirement looks like?

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Lump It says:
08 Jul 2009 at 11:43 am | #

Bronson is old enough to remember what President Harry Truman (D) said: “If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.”

In pre-internet days, Bronson had a one-way conversation with his readers. Back then he could publish any old nonsense with no backtalk. Seems like he preferred it that way. Now his readers can give him the raspberry - in public.

Also note that he uses his Enquirer blog to lecture commenters that he’s the journalism expert. But you don’t see Bronson posting on Editor & Publisher or Romanesko - the leading blogs for journalism professionals that both reported the diaper debacle - to lecture his peers. They’d fall down laughing.

almost always right says:
08 Jul 2009 at 01:13 pm | #

Here’s Bronson’s dodgy answer to why he doesn’t defend his reputation on the professional journalism blogs that reported on his Franken gaffe (E&P, Romanesko). He’s just too gosh-darn busy tending his own garden: http://tinyurl.com/mfvqv4

PeterBronson wrote:
Nice try, but I was not even born when Truman became president. And unlike some of you, I do not spend my days posting comments on blogs. I have my own blog to manage and columns to write. And for your information, readers gave me the raspberry in print—and I often printed those letters when I was editorial page editor. So when’s the last time you published a correction at work to let everyone know you made a mistake? Hmmmm?
7/8/2009 11:35 AM EDT

Wow, this blew what’s left of my ever-lovin’ mind! Judging by his photos, when Brown was going on about being “86’d” I thought he was talking about his age! But no, based on a HamCo County Court traffic ticket, he was born on January 2, 1953. OMG, the way he looks he must have been living harder than Michael Jackson.

I was not even born when Truman became president.

When Truman “became president,” yes, however, according to Wiki, Truman presided over Bronson’s America for almost three weeks. “Give ‘em hell Harry” left office on January 20, 1953, when wee Peter himself was in a diaper: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_S._Truman

Memory 'Ho says:
08 Jul 2009 at 01:17 pm | #

http://tinyurl.com/n358yp

Winston_Smyth wrote:

Mr. Bronson:

Speaking of “cleaning it up,” what’s the status of your deleted July 1 item about Al Franken, the one with the photoshopped Franken photo? To my knowledge, the last word was that you were “checking on it”: http://bit.ly/CT7S2

Also, did you approve deleting the story (and accompanying comments) or was it done without your knowledge? If it was done without your knowledge, who is the manager of the department responsible for deleting it?

Thank you for your consideration and I look forward to your answers.
7/8/2009 11:36 AM EDT