Opinion: Don't Question the Almighty

The Wall Street Journal also came in with a package of articles, although the paper's brass clearly believed that a deity is best covered with quantity instead of quality. The paper's coverage lacked its famous scrutiny. The reporters tended to buy into Buffett's analysis that his insurance holdings would continue to prosper and didn't question his wisdom on loading up his portfolio with banks.

In fairness, it's not easy brightening up Greatness, and most of the reporters who covered the meeting didn't even try. And why bother; when God speaks, isn't that enough? Colin Barr, a former editor at TheStreet.com and now a senior writer at Fortune.com, harnessed his usually tart tongue and delivered a straight news account. But that's more than you would have found at Motley Fool, which ran a cheat sheet of topics that should be covered prior to the meeting -- or Seeking Alpha, which ticked off headlines in no particular order, -- or Forbes uninspired coverage.

Some of the most reputable coverage came from overseas, notably from The Guardian in the United Kingdom. The paper not only summed up what Buffett said, and the questions asked of him, it noted the somber tone in which it was presented and how that differed from past meetings. While a few of the American reporters also noted the diminished enthusiasm at the shareholder meeting, it was often as an afterthought to one of the topics that Buffett wanted to discuss.

Still, if Buffett ever needs reassurance of his importance -- about as likely as God needing to read his press clippings -- he could find it by visiting the Web site of The Atlantic. Not a publication known for its financial savvy, The Atlantic's coverage of The Great Warren was a refreshing surprise. Megan McArdle's blog entries not only covered Buffett's comments and the pandering, they did so with color and wit.