Robert McLaws at LonghornBlogs has a lengthy post this morning entitled Journalistic Integrity Revisited.

It says some complimentary things about me and some very unflattering things about Paul Thurrott.

I’d let it go, except that Paul decided to chime in with a comment to Robert’s post that takes a few cheap shots at me. I’m not a journalist, says Paul, along with a bunch of other name-calling.

Well, I guess I’ll have to give back my awards from the Computer Journalists Press Association [real-time fact-checking!] and the American Business Press Association. That’s OK, it was a pain in the ass finding a box to pack them in every time I move.

Anyway, I don’t care if someone wants to call me a journalist. I’m much more concerned with my reputation for accuracy and honesty. I don’t post as often here as some people would like, precisely because I try to make sure that what I post is truthful and accurate.

I’m pretty picky about whose RSS feeds and Web sites I read regularly. I like people who are passionate and willing to take risks. I have no patience for people who aren’t willing to give credit to others or to check their facts.

In his comment, Paul says, “I worked with Microsoft to uncover what happened here. I had used two sources for the original article I wrote, and so didn’t use terms like ‘according to reports…’ or similar, which generally accompany such things.”

Ahem. That’s not what my sources at Microsoft tell me. Two sources? Please. If that’s true, those people lied to Paul and he ought to delete their names from his address book. I have some pretty good sources at Microsoft too, and when I called, I couldn’t find a single person who had ever heard of anything remotely like this story. Because it’s a complete fabrication.

In fact, one contact at Microsoft yesterday complained that they had to call Paul to complain about the story and that he didn’t want to run a correction because it would be “embarrassing.”

Oh, Paul also says Robert Scoble isn’t a journalist either. “Frankly,” says Paul, “he hasn’t been at this very long.” [Robert McLaws says Paul was probably referring to him, not to Scoble. Probably right. Still laughable, as Robert M. has been building an excellent reputation online for three years now.]

Pardon me. I’ll need a minute to compose myself. And would you people in the blogosphere please stop laughing so loud?

Longhornblogs.com and the Scobleizer are both on my daily must-read list. I read Paul’s stuff whenever someone else links to it.

‘Nuff said.