At a time when print media is in crisis and young reporters are either J-School pedants or Obama worshipers or both, it's nice to see someone still adhering to gritty, in the trenches journalistic conventions. Last week, in the pages of the Washington Post, Michael Kinsley mocked source greasing thusly:

As a literary form, the source greaser is bound by strict conventions. The subject always puts in heroically long hours. He or she is uniquely influential and close to the president... On most days, the source-greasing chief rises before sunset, works out for three hours, reads 12 newspapers in five languages while riding his bike to work, and is at his desk by 4 a.m. A typical workday lasts until 9 or 10 in the evening, which means that he often doesn't get to sleep until several hours after he wakes up the next day. He wears three watches, set to different time zones. "You never know when you're going to be ordered off to Beijing," he said, adding sadly, "It hasn't happened yet. But when it does, I'm ready." Colleagues interpret the lack of travel as a sign of his importance. "The Man needs him nearby," said one, who asked not to be identified because "I'm just making this stuff up."

This morning, in the pages of the Washington Post, Michael Shear described the schedule of WH press secretary Robert Gibbs thusly:

"I think the mess hates all of us," said a frequent customer who is a senior adviser to President Obama. In a city where work can border on obsession, the Obama staffers stand out. They are not quite the walking dead, but their eyes are frequently ringed with the bags that accompany exhaustion. "This is a place, because of the stress, the schedule and the sheer hours, that just chews people up and spits them out," said press secretary Robert Gibbs, whose alarm clock is set to 4:30 a.m., though he ignores the early ring more often these days... Even the most hardy of Obama's staff members are beginning to recognize the toll that the pace is taking. "I felt like a heavyweight boxer lying on the mat," Gibbs said last week, describing his mood before leaving with the president for an eight-day trip across 10 time zones. Air Force One landed early yesterday at Andrews Air Force Base, carrying a presidential team that caught just a few hours of sleep each night in Russia, Italy and Ghana. All plan to return to work before sunrise today.

Sorry bloggers, but there are some things you can't learn except by doing your time in a newsroom. And just to be clear, this isn't any more unethical than anything journalists have done during previous administrations. It definitely has a hint of extra Obama-inspired puppy-love, but it's not spin a whole column out of Obama's fly move obnoxious.

References:
* The Indispensable Greaser [Kinsley / WaPo]
* In West Wing: Grueling Schedules, Bleary Eyes [Shear / WaPo]
* Obama's Fly Move [Dowd / NYT]

Previously:
* Farrakhan: Obama Is "A Herald Of The Messiah... A Savior" (Plus: Obama's Followers Attacking Conservatives, Fantasizing About Shooting Palin)
* Figures: Obama's List Of Pre-Screened Questioners Emerges One Day After Media Celebrations Of How Obama Doesn't Pre-Screen Questioners (Plus: It's Possible That The MSM Is Making Up Excuses For Their Obama Worship)
* Video: CNN's Aww Shucks "Top 10 Obama Faux Pas" Roundup Misses A Few Things