Posts Tagged ‘Bullard’
Posted on August 16, 2007 - by Justin Hartman
Lunch with Bullard
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David Bullard, acclaimed journalist and public enemy number one, recently invited me to an extended lunch with some other elite bloggers - youngBLOOD and Groogle. It was inevitable really that our paths would cross and I have to say I feel most privileged that I have had the opportunity to meet the man in person.
After calling David a wanker one would imagine the man would never want to talk to me again however he has been a true gentleman about the Bullardgate affair and in particular my reaction to the whole event.
I have to admit that I really enjoyed my lunch at The Grill House with Bullard and I noticed this morning that he sneakily took a snap of me on his new Nokia phone which he’s now trying to sell on eBay.
David, you do realise this picture of me is better suited for Sotheby’s? I am after-all a highly sought after individual.
Posted on July 5, 2007 - by Justin Hartman
My new position at The Times
After a couple months negotiation and some pretty hairy decision making processes I’ve finally signed and sealed a new contract to begin working at The Times.
On 1 August I’ll take up the position of Assistant New Media Strategist and I’m very excited about this career opportunity. I’ll be working directly with Colin Daniels (who becomes my boss) and Editor Ray Hartley and I’ll also work very closely with Carly Ritz and Gregor Rohrig which excites me immensely.
Oh, and I simply can not forget about David Bullard either. After calling him a wanker I’m now going to be working with the enemy which should provide some interesting encounters of the narcissistic kind.
Leaving Twac was not an easy decision to make however I do feel there is a lot of opportunity for me at The Times. The most important aspect for me in deciding to leave, apart from money of course, was the excitement around being innovative on a fairly large scale level which is something I’ve wanted for some time now.
I really believe The Times has the right people on board to make it a success and I’m simply honoured to now be a part of it.
Posted on May 9, 2007 - by Justin Hartman
Bullardgate: A very interesting twist
Now I was one of the first to react to David Bullard’s rant and I still maintain rightfully so however tonight I found an intersting twist to the Bullardgate campaign.
Sunday evening Vincent Maher posted this and asked us all to join the revolution by signing up to the Facebook group which he had created in protest which I diligently did. However, browsing my Facebook profile tonight I realised that Vincent has left the very group he started:
I’m confused. How can the General abandon his troops right in the middle of the battle? Does this mean that Vincent has now revoked the whole Bullardgate campaign? At the time of writing this there are currently 64 supporters of which Vincent is no longer one of them so what sort of message does this carry to the rest of us?
At least Bullard has stuck to his guns.
Posted on May 7, 2007 - by Justin Hartman
Bullard responds - now even a bigger wanker
So Bullard has responded via video all thanks to Groogle and while bloggers all over South Africa may have asked for an apology from the Sunday Times all we got was more of the same shit.
Now I’m sick with flu at the moment so my sense of humour is probably not what it should be but it would appear that Bullard’s article is simply a moronic tactic to get reaction out of the blogosphere and to build up publicity for the Sunday Times. youngBLOOD has said as much in his blog post this morning and I’m even more perplexed than before as everyone who was complaining last night seem to be all smiles today.
I know I’m no highly-paid, well-respected journalist for a major sunday newspaper but can someone humour me please?
A interesting point I got out of Bullard’s response was that he’s a columnist that has never based any of his commentary on fact and that’s was has made him last for 13 years. He goes on to say that had he based his article on fact then he’d simply be a journalist however that’s what makes him a columnist.
So, the question has to be asked Mr. Bullard - are you then just in fact a glorified blogger? It seems as if The Times’ new Editor in his blog post this morning might concur with me?
It would appear by your statements that your column simply does not go through the “journalistic” procedures of being proof-read, checked for facts and approved by the editor so I’m struggling to see the difference between you and I? Oh wait, it’s that huge salary you get paid.
Bullard goes on to say that as a journalist he has responsibilities unlike “us” bloggers when writing which makes me see red. How can he claim to have responsibilities when he can go on a scathing attack like he has against 70-million people world-wide and create a vastly negative impression to his huge Sunday Times readership?
If this is Sunday Times’ reaction then I’m appalled.
UPDATE: This is just for some great fun! I think I’ll take this stance from here on in.
Posted on May 7, 2007 - by Justin Hartman
Is David Bullard an utter wanker?
If you haven’t read it already David Bullard, Sunday Times journalist and holier than thou author, has published an article today in the Sunday Times attacking the entire 70 million strong blogosphere.
My good friend Vincent Maher has hit hard at Bullard and rightly so and I support him and the entire blogosphere 100% in the demand of a public apology by the Sunday Times.
My quote on Vincent Maher’s blog:
I always had the utmost respect for Bullard but now I have to say - what an utter, mindless, self-serving wanker. That gun-shot wound has simply opened the moronic floodgates.
How the Sunday Times can endorse this rubbish and pay Bullard for writing such drivel is beyond me. Support the plight and join the facebook group.
The ultimate reason why this article has pissed me off is because Bullard is simply negating the entire blogosphere in one fell swoop and portraying a negative outlook to his readers who probably don’t even understand what blogging is. My entire effort on Afrigator the last month or so is meaningless since his readers now think we’re all axe murders.
If he bothered to do a little research he’d find out that blogging can be a more powerful tool for breaking news than normal traditional media but I guess none of that’s valid because it isn’t filtered by sub-editors, editors and publishers?
In closing I might add that possibly there is justification in “looking at legislation to gag legitimate publications” as Bullard so poignantly put it?
You can read more response to this at the following “would-be” serial-killer blogs:
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