As I stood outside the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville last Friday night waiting for the start of a AA game between the Jacksonville Suns and the Mississippi Braves and “Dale Murphy Night,” I noticed one of my journalistic brethren of the Fourth Estate, a “reporter” from the “Associated Press” stopping and asking people for interviews about some “news story” he was “writing.”

He was having mixed success as he stopped various men and asked them something or other about the November election. I couldn’t exactly hear precisely what the story was supposed to be about, he never asked me for any quotes, and I was pretty focused on the evening’s festivities, much like Ralph Parker said when he was approached by the Wicked Witch of the West while standing in line to see Santa Claus: “Don’t bother me. I’m thinking.”

At first, I just figured he didn’t ask me about the story because I was wearing my TDQ T-shirt, and he didn’t want to approach a clearly superior news source with just his pen, notepad and Associated Press lanyard. And I really couldn’t blame him.

But the next morning, it occurred to me that the only people I saw him approach to discuss his story were white, older, tall men. Really, AP? You only think tall dudes have opinions worth writing about? Is that what it’s come down to? People shorter than six feet tall don’t matter? Is that what you’re shouting down to us folks who weren’t blessed with height? Because that’s what I’m hearing. That’s what this reporter was telling me, as he looked down his nose, way, way down to me.

This is ridiculous. It’s horrible. I demand an explanation. Is this what passes as journalism nowadays? Because I have to say that we here at The Daily Quarterly will interview anybody and everybody if the story warrants it. No matter if they’re tall, short, black, white, young, old, religious, atheist, liberal, conservative, northerner, southerner, American or foreigner.

But I guess we just have higher standards than they do. We have no issues interviewing the masses for a story.

Except for these guys; no one should have to interview these guys:

You are now informed. Go and do likewise.