Bob Ulrich

Editor

Bob Ulrich was named Modern Tire Dealer editor in August 2000. He joined the magazine in 1985 as assistant editor, and has been responsible for gathering statistical information for MTD's "Facts Issue" since 1993. He has won numerous awards for editorial and feature writing, including five gold medals from the International Automotive Media Association. Bob earned a B.A. in English literature from Ohio Northern University and has a law degree from the University of Akron.

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Will the blogosphere stifle objectivity? Not on my watch!

By: Bob Ulrich

"Objectivity is not universally in favor in our business these days, but it is critically important." Those words were spoken recently by Charles Gibson on his last telecast as anchor of "ABC World News."

He retired on Dec. 18 after a 34-year career at ABC, and I, for one, will miss him because I considered him a fine journalist. He was, in my opinion, objective.

That, too, is what we strive for at Modern Tire Dealer. Our purpose, when compared to that of the evening news, is a little different, however. Our goal is to help independent tire dealers run their businesses more profitably. To do that, we

* keep our readers informed about the latest industry news and trends;

* show them how their peers run their businesses;

* cover newsworthy events in the United States and abroad;

* provide a forum for new product introductions.

By doing these things, we have formed a community within the tire industry -- a social network, if you will. Ultimately, we bring tire dealers and suppliers together.

Our goal isn't to find the seemy underbelly of the industry. And unless it applies to our aforementioned mission statetment, we don't focus on the failings of either tire dealers or suppliers.

Not everything we write about is good news. If a tire manufacturer suffers a net loss, we try to report it in the proper context. Why? Because it is important that you stay on top of your supplier's -- or potential supplier's -- ability to meet your needs.

The key is we report the news. We analyze the news. Only on the magazine's editorial page -- where else would the editor editorialize? -- or in our Web site's blogs do we venture into opinionated viewpoints and occasional speculation. And even then the opinions are carefully substantiated as objectively as possible.

Gibson's implication is correct: Objectivity used to be the rule, not the exception. Access to the Internet has helped change that. Say something three times and it becomes "fact" throughout the blogosphere.

We have the capability to get the news faster now, but when it is at the expense of accuracy and objectivity, it is not worth it. News organizations and bloggers simply need to be more responsible.

Objectivity, within the framework of our mission statement, is still the rule with Modern Tire Dealer and www.moderntiredealer.com.

Related Topics: ABC News, Independent Tire Dealers, Journalism ethics