Rosenthal: Social media present challenges for GMs

Only when Flirtomatic takes up more time than Strat-O-Matic.

Your sympathy should go only so far — being a G.M. is a pretty sweet gig, and Ken Williams acknowledges that he is fortunate to hold the position. But talking to him Saturday, I started thinking about my own place — and the places of other baseball writers — in Williams’ universe.

And yes, I felt a little uneasy.

General managers of high-profile teams probably could spend four hours a day answering media requests. The competition for news is fierce, but journalism — in sports, politics and other fields — is not necessarily better for it.

Early in my career, I would lose sleep if I reported something inaccurately, even worry about losing my job. The standards now are much lower; too often, the emphasis is on being first rather than factual. Many stories lack nuance and context, particularly when reported in 140-character tweets.

I’m not preaching from any mountaintop here — I pride myself on accuracy, but occasionally make mistakes, too. It is the nature of the business now. It is not a step forward. And from the perspective of an executive such as Williams, it is just one more hassle.