Despite our vague suggestions otherwise, journalists don’t usually welcome criticism. And we rarely accept it gracefully. So I was very impressed yesterday when I saw that Ben Wedeman, one of CNN’s Middle East Correspondents, posted a link on Twitter where people, especially Egyptians, could go to critique his and CNN’s coverage of recent events in Egypt. He also received numerous replies to the tweet and seemed to respond to most of them.
Seeing this made me think, if a seasoned reporter who covers such important world events, and who I greatly respect as a journalist, is actively seeking public feedback and critique, how much more should I, as someone who is just beginning a career in journalism, be doing this?