I just finished watching a fantastic video, produced for the 2009 Craft Brewers Conference.

Take a minute and check it out:

I Am A Craft Brewer on Vimeo.

For the record, I live in Oregon (Beervana) and I love craft beer.

But I’m also a journalism fanatic and I just couldn’t help but think about my own professional values every time these folks were talking about their own work.

This weekend, many of the best and most heretical minds in the field will be meeting at BarCamp News-Innovation Philadelphia to hammer out some new ideas and models for remaking the news industry. I couldn’t make it to Philly, but I’ll be there in spirit and following along from afar.

And so, to journalists who feel abused and stranded by the industry that controls the work we love, let’s borrow the creed of passionate brewers to wrest control of our craft and duty and move boldly into the new century:

We must illuminate our strengths, keep true to our standards, educate those who seek to understand what we’ve created. We must draw hard lines, we must expose those who would seek to capitalize on what we have created. We must not chase after those who do not understand what we’ve created or care about what we do. We believe in quality, bold character, fun, responsibility, and we believe in pushing the boundaries.

Do good work in Philly. And every day forward.