Middle-aged white dudes dominate PJS blogs

November 20, 2009
By Billy Dennis

I clicked on this link and almost immediately noticed something about the Peoria Journal Star’s stable of bloggers: All of them are middle-aged white guys.

Now, there’s nothing wrong with being a middle-aged white guy. I happen to be one. But it’s hardly representative of the readership. You would think they could find one person on staff to blog for them who was wasn’t white, male and old.

Feel free to flame me or the PJS in the comments section. Thank you.

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12 Responses to “ Middle-aged white dudes dominate PJS blogs ”

  1. 11bravo on November 20, 2009 at 9:25 am

    White male and old ISN’T representative of the readership? Are you sure about that?

  2. Elaine Hopkins on November 20, 2009 at 5:27 pm

    White middle aged guys are ’safe.’ They have families to support and are unlikely to say anything weird.

  3. AnotherExJSer on November 20, 2009 at 7:14 pm

    The thing I noticed is that six of the nine blogs are about sports.

  4. AnotherExJSer on November 20, 2009 at 7:26 pm

    Also, the JS sports department is the most male-dominated part of the editorial department. It’s also one of the hardest (along with photo) parts of the place in which to obtain a permanent job. Much of the work in sports is done by temps and perma-temps, and there is very little turnover of permanent, full-time employees. In fact, two longtime sports guys have been moved to news and features the past couple years.

    I can think of only one permanent, full-time female sports employee — Jane Miller.

    Temps are unlikely to get blogs.

  5. Sud O. Nym on November 20, 2009 at 7:44 pm

    Elaine, you are a sexist.

  6. RomanII on November 21, 2009 at 9:47 am

    If you want to see what permanent, full-time female sports commentators or reporters do, check the NFL on TV. What a sorry sight, they should be on the WWF channel sorry girls, stay in your own field of sports, soccer, volleyball, swimming and track.

  7. One of those bloggers on November 21, 2009 at 2:52 pm

    I am not middle aged…

  8. Billy Dennis on November 21, 2009 at 3:29 pm

    Well, if you are one of those PJS bloggers, you are certainly no spring chicken, either.

  9. AnotherExJSer on November 21, 2009 at 4:06 pm

    Five of those guys are Facebook friends of mine. I don’t have any idea about Stein’s age, but he doesn’t look 25. Supinie doesn’t actually work at the JS, but he’s obviously not 25, either. I think the youngest is Capie, who is 35. Is 35 middle-aged? Most people would probably say no. Definitely not as middle-aged as I am.

    • Billy Dennis on November 21, 2009 at 4:11 pm

      Via Wikipedia:

      Middle age is the period of life beyond young adulthood but before the onset of old age. Various attempts have been made to define this age, which is around the third quarter of the average life span of human beings.

      According to Collins Dictionary, this is “… usually considered to occur approximately between the ages of 40 and 60″.

      The OED gives a similar definition but with a later start point “… the period between youth and old age, about 45 to 60″.

      The US Census lists middle age as including both the age categories 35 to 44 and 45 to 54, while prominent social scientist, Erik Erikson, sees it ending a little later and defines middle adulthood as between 40 and 65.

      I stand by my comment.

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  11. vonster on November 23, 2009 at 8:20 pm

    Like Bill isn’t white and middle aged……