Whenever I read something like the following:
> "Apparently, the post was not enough of a blowjob for Summit,"
The level of reporting drops to the floor. How is this professional at all? That phrase made me close the tab; TechCrunch has had its fair share of childness, but this is an all time low. Really guys? Really?
My wife's very Mormon family has joked with me about far worse subjects, so I don't really have any perspective here. I know people get offended, but I've never really dug into why.
You won't see a baptist joking about anal sex.
Anyway, joke is definitely ruined now :p
Second of all, there are different sides to professionalism. In my opinion, exposing an attempt at perverting editorial integrity is highly professional, and using vulgar language while doing so is very minor peanuts. You have your priorities very skewed.
My understanding is that this is the industry jargon covering things like an obscure radio reporter being invited on an all-expenses-paid trip to L.A. to screen an upcoming movie, or a magazine doing a story about a company in the exact issue where the same company buys a two-page advertising spread.
I'm not saying you are wrong to be offended, just pointing out that this seems to be the way "professionals" talk within the media industry.
As a journalist who's spent several years in all kinds of newsrooms, I can assure you that "blowjob" is one of the more kid-friendly words you'll hear in a newsroom. But, that's just blowing off steam in a grinding job with long hours, little pay and a lot of cynicism.
Professionals don't normally take what they say in private to print. I'd argue that they're professionals precisely because they don't drop "blowjobs" in print lightly.
In my opinion, professional writing is crafting a good house stylebook and sticking to it. It's not necessary to write like a newspaper on the Internet, although I like that too.