Manila is a skill, and Ken is a great guy, knows Manila cold, and is a fantastic teacher. Amateurs and prose Dan Gillmor is really tuning into the amateur writing thing. This morning he linked to an excellent Bill Moyer speech on journalism and democracy. But Dan, I don't buy the gifted part. It's a little condescending.
Children are gifted, adults have respect for each other.
Here's some pushback on Glenn's most recent analysis . Once you get paid for doing something, you're not an amateur. The term has become dirtied by the assumption that somehow amateur is lower quality than professional. Before Mutual of America I had lost at least three corporate underwriters, who were happy as long as we didn't make anyone else unhappy. Losing your underwriting will keep the yellow light of caution flickering in a journalist's unconscious.