Love and respect

America's Network, Dec 1, 2003 by Joan Engebretson

I first learned what an essay was back around fourth grade, when my teacher told us this was one of the things we would learn about when we got a little older. "You'll be asked to write about topics such as 'Would you rather be loved or respected?'" she told us.

I was intrigued, and when I finally took an essay class in high school, I found it was something that I really enjoyed. I've always found it easier to analyze a situation and come to a conclusion by putting words on paper, rather than simply letting thoughts rattle around in my head. That's also why, as a journalist, I've always enjoyed writing commentary.

I never did receive an assignment to write the "love or respect" essay. When I was younger, I used to wonder how I would answer that question if I ever did. The answer is very clear to me now--and since it's extremely relevant to business journalism, I thought I'd take the opportunity to tackle it here.

In the time that I've worked with America's Network, as editor myself and before, we've run a number of stories that were bound to cause some industry players to dislike us. Stories that questioned a company's motives, its smarts, or even its truthfulness--and that did not hesitate to point a finger when we uncovered convincing evidence.

We ran these stories because we believe that a key role of the press--and one that we cannot take lightly--should be to serve as an industry watchdog. We may have stepped on a few toes with some of our reporting, but we did so as a greater service to the industry at large.

That's what commands respect--and ultimately a positive image--within the industry.

The answer to the essay question, then, is that respect is a necessary, although not a sufficient condition, for being loved. In other words, getting people to respect you may not make them love you. But if they don't respect you, they certainly will not love you.

In times as tough as those that the telecom industry has faced over the last few years, a critical eye is more important than ever. Yet, as a result of numerous industry magazine closings and layoffs, fewer journalists are focused on telecom--which makes the role of those who remain even more critical.

America's Network is proud to have not only survived the slump, but to have maintained the respect of the industry throughout this difficult time. We look forward to keeping a critical eye on telecom in 2004.