Is blogging dangerous to your health?

I've gotten a couple of comments over the months about my blog. They go something like this, "Wow I can't believe you wrote about that!" It usually comes after one of my mocking assaults on the behemoth Rick Garner. You know our blogmaster. That's him pictured right there. But I am learning that you can step over the line and end up in big time trouble doing this sort of thing. So who knows maybe one day the guy who carries the club around the newsroom may actually end up konking me on the head.

I'm reminded how dangerous this free speech thing is because of what happened to a poor ole producer at CNN. He got the heave ho for his blog. TV Newser reportedly got a hold of an email sent by American Morning's Executive Producer Edward Litvak. It went out to the staff and reportedly said: "Chez Pazienza has left 'American Morning' and CNN. We wish him well in all of his future endeavors." That's shorthand in my business for "Get Lost." An insider (read tatletale on the staff who couldn't wait to spill the beans) says "he was let go because he didn't get permission to publish personal writings."

Pazienza wrote for The Huffington Post. He took on some controversial subjects. He wrote about MSNBC correspondent David Shuster and Fox anchor John Gibson. Shuster got into trouble for his comments about Chelsea Clinton. Gibson got into trouble for his comments on Heath Ledger. So maybe I'm putting my neck out there right now by writing about both of these guys. But I have to say while I'm a huge proponent of free speech, and a free press, I can't understand why these guys said what they did.

Sure I've said boneheaded things on the air that I've regretted. I defy any of you to talk for three hours a day and not say something dumb at some point. Mix in sleep deprivation and it's a dangerous combination. Having said that, I would never say the things these guys said. It's not that they are boneheaded comments, it's that they are so distasteful, and ugly. I've got a daughter in her twenties and if Shuster said something about Courtney like he said about Chelsea I'd want to pop him one. I think most parents would feel the same way. As for Gibson how can you say something so distasteful about someone who just died? There seems to be this line of civility that has been erased in our society. I think that's a real problem. If you don't know what Shuster or Gibson said you won't find their comments here. I have no plans to re-print them, but don't worry, just like everything else you can find them online.

I think it's ironic that the guy who wrote about both of them ended up getting canned, but Gibson and Shuster survived. As for me I am thinking maybe I should be a bit more civil. I'll even be nice to Mr. Garner in the future. So Rick if you are reading this, and I suspect you are, I finally dusted off a current photo of you. Here it is on the right. What do you think?