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What is a “pseudo-journalist”?

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Wesley Elsberry, in blogging about Denyse O’Leary’s recent coming on board here at UD, refers to her as a “pseudo-journalist” (go here)? What a curious designation. Does Wesley’s use of the prefix “pseudo” simply indicate his disapproval of O’Leary and, in particular, her failure to accept his brand of evolution? Or does the prefix indicate something substantive (Denyse, did you come on board here under false pretenses? Are you really a journalist at all? What exactly have you published in recognized media outlets?)

If Denyse is in fact a real journalist, does that make Elsberry a “pseudo-blogger”?

Comments
In the spirit of keeping our labels straight, it is only fair to say that no, Dr. Elsberry is not a professed atheist.Charlie
July 25, 2006
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Jerry, I don't know why this would make a difference, but my browser didn't pick up the new banner until I logged in again, even though I had previously cleared my cache and cookies.Charlie
July 25, 2006
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To Jerry: try refreshing your browser to update the cache.ajl
July 25, 2006
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From moderator Denyse: Hey guys, let's be careful we are not pitching headfirst into the Elsberry ourselves. We don't know whether he takes/forgot his meds, and if it WERE true, it's all the more unsuited to a public discussion. Also, do we know for sure that he is an atheist? Has he said this? A comment trapped in the spam box questions that very point. Service note: If you are a couth person and your comments are not appearing, they may be trapped in the spam box, where I have just discovered a number of them. One of my next projects is addressing the spam box.O'Leary
July 25, 2006
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Denyse, All those are just pseudo-credentials.jacktone
July 25, 2006
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"More drivel from the atheistic fundamentalist, Elsey Welsburry. I’m shocked. And they wonder why they are losing credibility so fast. Comment by Scott — July 25, 2006 @ 8:05 am " I don't believe that Wesley Elsberry considers himself an atheist.Stephen Elliott
July 25, 2006
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If his spelling is anything like his critical analysis, I'm surprised he even got Denyse's name right.lucID
July 25, 2006
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I have an unusual problem having to do with computers and this site and since it has a little relevance to Denyse I thought I would ask here. Rignt now I am looking at this site on both my desktop and laptop. But they show different screens. On the desktop is the new banner at the top showing both Bill and Denyse. On the laptop is the old banner which just has Bill on it. Both are Macintosh computers running the latest operating system which is Tiger. I have rebooted the laptop, closed down Safari two or three times but still the old screen appears. Any thoughts from computer experts? Am I the only one that still has the old screen but on just one computer?jerry
July 25, 2006
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More drivel from Elsey Welsburry. I\'m shocked. And they wonder why they are losing credibility so fast.Scott
July 25, 2006
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According to the online Webster's Dictionary, a "journalist" is "a person engaged in journalism; especially : a writer or editor for a news medium b : a writer who aims at a mass audience" [http://m-w.com/dictionary/journalist]. Included in Webster's definitions on "journalism" is "writing designed to appeal to current popular taste or public interest " [see http://m-w.com/dictionary/journalism] On that basis Denyse (and those of us who write blogs aimed at "a mass audience" on a matter of "public interest"-which intelligent design and evolution surely is) would be journalists. But if Wesley means a more traditional definition of "journalist," as someone whose day job is "writing designed for publication in a newspaper or magazine" (another of Webster's definitions of "journalist"), then presumably to be consistent Wesley would class Dawkins as a "pseudo-scientist"? That is because I presume it was a *very* long time ago that Dawkins' fitted the traditional definition of "scientist," as someone whose day job is "a scientific investigator" [http://m-w.com/dictionary/scientist] working in a lab doing scientific research? Stephen E. Jones http://creationevolutiondesign.blogspot.com/senojes
July 25, 2006
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Hi all, Couldn't sleep so was just puttering around my office, researching an upcoming feature for a women's mag. I stopped to check the comments boxes when I came across this "pseudo-journalist" thread. What a larf! Of course I am a pseudo-journalist!! In the interests of pretending to be a journalist, I make a living writing for non-fiction print and Internet media. I have even gone to the trouble of writing two award-winning books, examining public issues. However, one can't be too careful when putting up a facade. So I also have cards from: Canadian Association of Journalists Canadian Church Press Association Canadian Science Writers' Association Also: professional class member, The Word Guild qualifying member, The Writers' Union of Canada voting member, The Editors' Association of Canada Admittedly, it's all a lot of work and trouble. Fortunately, most people are not as smart as Wesley Elsberry, so they usually don't see through it all. They have a bad habit of looking at the evidence. - DenyseO'Leary
July 25, 2006
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One would probably find Elsberry's either forgotten to take is meds (again!) or he simply disregards anyone who hasn't published anything in his favorite 'evolution-only' journal/magazine and so his blatant arrogance and disgust for all non-evo people emerges again. My guess is it's a bit of both.lucID
July 25, 2006
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Elsberry's attempt to discredit Denyse is typical of the tactics of Darwinists. They know that the fundamental materialistic mechanisms proposed by the theory are in a state of evidential and logical meltdown, and that 85% of the American population don't buy their highly speculative storytelling. Darwinian fundamentalists are in a demonstrable state of panic (for good reason), as evidenced by these tactics.GilDodgen
July 24, 2006
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I think the significance of the "pseudo" prefix is that of a psychological crutch. Ya see, folks like Elsberry can't allow themselves to think that people like Denyse and yourself are legitimate contributors to your fields who come to objective, religiously-neutral conclusions that materialistic explanations are explanatorily inadequate for some natural phenomena. And so they have to convince themselves that you are either deluded or incompetent or "lying for God". Usually, however, they're able to hold their tounges because they know there's nothing "pseudo" about your credentials. So what's this from Dr. Elsberry? A Freudian slip, perhaps?crandaddy
July 24, 2006
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I don't think I've seen Elsberry blog on any 'peer-reviewed' blogs, so I'm going to have to call shenanigans. Something is clearly off here. And Denyse- how could you claim to be a journalist? I guess you don't meet his own personal definition of what it takes to be one, so you're suddenly NOT a journalist. Now, if you were in the Neo-Darwinist camp, your credentials would never be questioned, of course.JasonTheGreek
July 24, 2006
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