tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1337206901491734394.post5661348677488542680..comments2024-03-22T01:00:38.320-04:00Comments on I.N.K.: All the News That's Fit To Print?Linda Salzmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17217322360480267856noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1337206901491734394.post-91556044856453441022009-03-09T10:29:00.000-04:002009-03-09T10:29:00.000-04:00We talk about this a lot in our family. My husband...We talk about this a lot in our family. My husband teaches at the journalism school at Columbia, and of course they are trying to figure out what to do about all of this there. I am addicted to my morning NY Times and when it doesn't come I am very cranky. My 23-year-old, who is living with us for another week, looks at me like I'm nuts. He would never consider reading a paper newspaper any more. Is he the wave of the future? If so, and I believe he is, newspapers are definitely going to have to figure it out. Last year David Simon came to the J school (David Simon of THE WIRE fame) and gave a talk. He says the big mistake was putting newspapers on line for free. That they should have all gotten together--which is illegal of course--and decided to charge for online content. So it will be interesting to see what happens. Oh, one more thing--did you hear about the people who were printing up blogs and handing them out on the street? Is that a twist or what? Sue, thanks for the great post!Deborah Heiligmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02894150394598699172noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1337206901491734394.post-72667449045508568402009-03-06T13:53:00.000-05:002009-03-06T13:53:00.000-05:00Kathleen: Lives of the Reporters. Go for it!Kathleen: Lives of the Reporters. Go for it!Sue Macyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12672431122375467343noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1337206901491734394.post-81096923539532509492009-03-06T13:08:00.000-05:002009-03-06T13:08:00.000-05:00It's such a both/and situation, isn't it? On the ...It's such a both/and situation, isn't it? On the one hand, the New York Times online is so much more searchable, printable, fileable, savable. As a researcher, I find it invaluable. But I can't stand to read the newspaper that way! I want it spread out on the table, or skillfully accordioned into reading position for the train, in order to skim and absorb what I need each day. The crossword puzzle on the web? Just not as much fun -- and doesn't wake my writing muscle in the morning the way the pen on paper does. Which is the anachronism, the paper or me? Thought-provoking post, Sue!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1337206901491734394.post-24889560668545865072009-03-06T12:33:00.000-05:002009-03-06T12:33:00.000-05:00What a thought-provoking and succinctly written po...What a thought-provoking and succinctly written post. I mostly disagree with David above, but rather than debate ---- I wonder if there is a book idea for young readers in this topic???Kathleen Krullhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03543290812257498339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1337206901491734394.post-24330885602319062492009-03-06T09:06:00.000-05:002009-03-06T09:06:00.000-05:00The 2/16/09 issue of TIME magazine has an article ...The 2/16/09 issue of TIME magazine has an article called "How to save your newspaper." Haven't read it yet, but plan to.<BR/><BR/>Thank you for posting this and mentioning the saying on the wall.Linda Zajachttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11930130216892471502noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1337206901491734394.post-41615198835110332532009-03-06T08:31:00.000-05:002009-03-06T08:31:00.000-05:00The failure of the Rocky Mountain News is a two-fo...The failure of the <I>Rocky Mountain News</I> is a two-fold failure of business and value. Listening to the news report on the radio (an excellent medium for multi-taskers) what became clear was that they were losing money trying to stay current; they were losing subscriptions, presumably to online readers, where the advertising dollars just wouldn't cover things.<BR/><BR/>There is a lot of talk about the wisdom of "giving away" content for free over the internet, but that's a bit of a straw man argument. People will pay for what they find valuable, and for the last 20 years the news media have de-valued themselves right into this corner they're in.<BR/><BR/>For me the moment it all began was when GHW Bush's administration decided the press would report what they were told during the Gulf War. This policy came about after the print news published a photo of Bush joking with military brass while a transport plane was off-loading military caskets. The reality of that moment was that our president was exposed and embarrassed, the press had reported what it saw, but that negative public image would not stand and so had to be contained.<BR/><BR/>Because those who control the news control what is news.<BR/><BR/>From there it wasn't much of a leap for the FCC to allow an entertainment organization to use the word "news" in its corporate branding - Fox News is an entertainment organization with the structure and appearance of a news corporation. As a result they have been very successful in retraining viewer expectations of what constitutes news as flashy, sensationalist, often irrelevant, and certainly non-objective. <BR/><BR/>So when the fourth estate is controlled by the first estate, when what passes for news must also entertain, when you see media try and use 19th century business models on 21st century technology streams, what you end up with are news organizations that cannot compete in the marketplace.<BR/><BR/>The only way for newspapers to survive is for deliver content that cannot be found elsewhere, to make themselves indispensable. If there was one newspaper that could have done the research and taken a stand and predicted this current financial crisis, that newspaper would be the go-to source for news. People would trust it, and turn to it, and value it. <BR/><BR/>As it is, the newspapers have become shadows of their former selves. They have gone back to their yellow roots and have allowed outside influences to define what they do and how they operate. I suspect they will survive, but I don't think there'll be any paper involved in the future of news.david elzeyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16653215150526146224noreply@blogger.com