ABC News’s blog, The Note, tried to be cute by posting a 30-year-old Jimmy Carter speech as an advanced copy of one of President Bush’s, and some readers didn’t think it was funny. By the way, I hate to be the one to break it to ABC, but that is not a blog. Anyway, back to the story:

Printing what is known as Carter’s “malaise” speech was intended to show a comparison to President Bush’s new conservation effort. But not all were in on the joke, and, ultimately, it served as a cautionary tale for news organizations as they increasingly try to penetrate the blogosphere and its culture.

“I appreciate the point The Note was trying to make,” wrote blogger John Aravosis on Americablog.com. “But a serious news source like ABC News doesn’t make that point by publishing 30-year-old speeches and claiming that they’re an advance copy of today’s address by the President. That’s not satire. That’s just stupid.” (Source)

Stupid, indeed. You have to be really clever to do good satire, which is why I rarely try. One advantage personal bloggers have over professionals (including news organizations) is that we can afford to be stupid and make readers angry every now and then; they can’t.