Mainstream "journalists" get trolled because they are perceived to be preaching from an ivory tower

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Back in those “good old days” of the pre-2000s Net, we’d call trolling “flame wars.” Reminds me of this old thing by the late Clarence Henderson on Cyber-flaming and Onion-Skins.

The insults exchanged between the two warring camps were vicious. On one side of the fence was the Get Real gang, arguing that certain aspects of Filipino culture have kept the country from progressing and will continue to do so if not addressed. On the other side were Madcat and her allied Pinoys, steadfastly resisting any critical comments about Filipino culture and always finding scapegoats for any perceived slight to their beloved nation. The exchanges between the pseudonymic individuals in the two warring factions can only be described as hateful (e.g., "you ignorant recently ejected paper pushing, lunchtime free office internet loading, sorry - *** whining, Aussie citizenship-waiting, white-arse kissing, mulga wood hide rubbing, fish and chip munching, wannabe social scientist w*nker").

The problem with today's “journalists” – they want to push that they’re always right and the only ones who are right. Problem is, real journalists know that they will meet challenges to their information because they only get their info from sources. And even the way their right has to be scrutinized for factual errors. If they scream foul about being corrected, they’re not journalists anymore, they’re jerks.

They need to adult-up (not just man- or woman-up). Of course, we who are of the “dissenting” opinions are always on the receiving end of trolldom. And of course, as I wrote in a Tech Talk article, The World has always been a Troll Society...

People may have lamented the Internet’s seeming violent nature, with so many hate messages and insults being thrown over distances. Some say the Internet itself and technology brings its own brand of violence. I however believe a simpler reason: the Internet magnifies what already exists. 
Many things, like hatred and distrust of people unlike oneself, are already a staple part of societies. It is likely a remnant of the survival instinct of prehistoric times that even today, people have failed to rein in.

...it’s part of the territory offline, too.

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