ARE ALL JOURNALISTS WUSSES? I ask this because of the top three stories on Jim Romenesko’s page:

“Andy Rooney says Ashcroft ‘has put the fear of God into reporters’ “ — saying that everyone’s afraid to write anything critical for fear that Ashcroft will say they’re helping terrorists;

“Why it took so long for the media to expose the clergy sex scandal

National Catholic Reporter Publisher Tom Fox’s view: ‘The secular press wouldn’t touch it because they didn’t want to be seen as anti-Catholic, and the Catholic [press] wouldn’t touch it because they weren’t independent;'” and

“Alt-weekly editors are scared, less idealistic, and more ad-conscious”

Grow some balls, guys and gals. That’s what press freedom is all about. So someone might call you names. Big deal.

The Ashcroft thing is the most startling. Why are people so intimidated by his public pronouncements? Of course, it’s not just the press. People denounced Ashcroft for lighting into a panel of Senators last fall — but not one of those tribunes of the people had to guts to say “You dropped the ball, Mr. Ashcroft — don’t blame us for your organization’s failures.” Now that it’s safer they may come back after him, but by not standing up then, they’ll look like opportunistic jackals now. Screw the poll numbers — if you stand up for what’s right, you’ll probably do okay. And if not, well, isn’t that your job anyway, both in the press and in the Senate?

As Robert Heinlein said, it may be better to be a live jackal than a dead lion, but it’s better still to be a live lion. And usually easier — unless, that is, you’re a jackal to start with.