Being in journalism can be tough sometimes. Sure, the hours are long and the pay isn't great, but that's not the worst of it. No, what's really difficult is that we tend to all get lumped together. Every journalist has, at some point, been at a social or family gathering where they've heard that four-letter word, "the media," uttered by someone. Often it leads to a record-scratch moment - talking stops and eyes turn to the journalist with either an apologetic look or scorn. We get it. Conservatives like to complain about the "liberal media," and the liberals love trashing the "right-wing spin" of outlets like Fox News. But while partisan issues can get a paper or station a reputation for being one-sided in their storytelling, it's organizations like the New York Daily News that have turned "the media" into the obscene word it has become/Bill McKee, Moscow-Pullman Daily News. More here.

Question: Do you consider "media" to be a four-letter word?