Oxford Comma

http://www.mediaite.com/power-grid/

Oh, this? This here is when things go too far.

Dan Abrams is a brilliant and (probably) slimy man. Somehow, he must have known that to create publicity for his new media-criticism-but-not-really-criticism Web site, he needed a piece of controversy. The result is something I think only a former pundit could dream up; it's big, dumb, brash and so straightforward it's incoherent. In short, Abrams finally crafted the Red Hot Chili Peppers of media criticism.

The final product is an utterly exhaustive ranking of every conceivable minutiae of journalism. Everything is included, from Web sites to magazine editors to television producers. Not to say he could put on an entertaining or informative hour of television on MSNBC, but this "Power Grid" is a fine example of how you sell a product.

The site claims there is an extensive system of numbers and maths that I don't dispute, but there's not much reason for it except to stir up controversy. Will Leitch over at Deadspin.com did a great job of pointing out that this is a summary of why people hate journalists. It combines indulgence and uselessness, and just comes off as a means to create buzz. I assume the majority of its readers will be other journalists, as no one else finds us that interesting. Although I wouldn't want to get my news from someone who routinely checks their ranking on the, I hate this name, "Power Grid."

The remainder of the site is exactly what you would expect, it's sparse even considering that it launched very recently. There are many updates on late night talk show hosts and falling ad revenue alongside boring columns that gloss over what journalism is. Don't bother.

One link off the page is to the Twitter HQ of its interns, which goes a little something like this, ad nauseam:
"@alroker Where do you rank? Check out your position on the Mediaite Power Grid! http://bit.ly/omf77
9:48 AM Jul 7th from web"

That same message, and then later various puns telling the poor soul his or her ranking, was sent to many a Twitter site run, ironically, by other interns. In all, a lot of time wasted by just another form of spam.

-30-
The "Grid"

Thanks, Deadspin