If one is paid for blogging, this makes them a professional.  Since blogging is a news source, this makes them, in theory, professional journalists.  One would hope that bloggers would keep this in mind as they go about their jobs, and act accordingly.

The Consumer Electronics Show, for the very first time, gave press credentials to bloggers, and even gave them their own lounge.  This was a major step for bloggers into the realm of acceptance, and one we should have treated with some respect.

Then Gizmodo showed up and acted like giant bastards. (video included)
Using a little device called TV-B-Gone, they went around the electronics show, finding great amusement in turning off walls of televisions in the booths.  They then went to the Motorola press conference and turned off their TVs during the company presentation.  All of this was done discretely, which is what the TV-B-Gone is for.

Was this funny?  No.  Was this professional?  No.  Did Gizmodo make it worse by making a video of their antics and putting on their site?  Yes.

I don’t care if blogging is a “new media”, and that there are rules being broken all the time in the form of traditional standards, there should be a common sense of professional decency.  This was nothing better than you would see on a show such as Jackass, except it was done under the guise of people who are supposedly journalists.

The Gizmodo employees may have set back bloggers in the tech industry several years with their grade school antics.  Thanks a lot guys… I hope someone rolls you for your lunch money.