Comments on: MSM RIP

By: tower defense

tower defense — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 09:06:20 +0000

The truth is that modern journalism is as relevant to that thinking as the Model-T is to cars, or the typewriter is to computers. Some dopey newspaper like the ‘Back of Beyond Tribute’ may well look good – but it knows its subscriber base is falling alarmingly.

By: Dano

Dano — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 22:51:50 +0000

Interesting Russ.

However, this:

The trick for the ‘new’ journalist before us is the guy/girl who can sum up the ramblings and rantings of the on-line community(such as you guys) and succinctly bring that to the public in a short, viewable, consumable way.

May be for the 80%, but for those of us 20%-ers, we want more than cr*ppy USA Today-type sound bites. I may (not Dano, me) be guilty of conceit here, but the 20% that wants more makes things happen (I [not Dano, me] like to think I make things happen occasionally).

So its the choice: chase quantity or quality. I’ll take quality and so will 20% – will there be profit in this number for the future?

Best,

By: David B. Benson

David B. Benson — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 22:22:07 +0000

Russ — Provocative POV. Thank you.

By: Russ

Russ — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 16:01:15 +0000

As a journalist of some 30 years who is today more multi-skilled (in technology) than most all my peers, I find the debate about the future of newspapers already an historical footnote to communication. You guys are still largely wedded (and enamored by) what you can physically read on paper, thrown over your front fence in the morning. The truth is that modern journalism is as relevant to that thinking as the Model-T is to cars, or the typewriter is to computers. Some dopey newspaper like the ‘Back of Beyond Tribute’ may well look good – but it knows its subscriber base is falling alarmingly. It – all the way up to good ol’ Rupert Murdoch – is now hedging their bets by trying to produce a newspaper on line! But don’t you get it?! A newspaper on-line is like a Tyrannosaurus on heat! The new medium is a form of TV /radio journalism on-line, giving recipients a great (when they want it) view of the world in ways that the average Joe can accept, understand and wants today! As a member of the public, I am less likely to read the dribblings of some hack newspaper journo with all his/her biases, if I can get a measured story, not constrained by column-inches or TV-news service time constraints) when I can get much more on-line? The trick for the ‘new’ journalist before us is the guy/girl who can sum up the ramblings and rantings of the on-line community(such as you guys) and succinctly bring that to the public in a short, viewable, consumable way. But guys, get over paper – it’s yesterday.

By: john

john — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 02:16:00 +0000

It’s interesting to me that newspapers started a precipitous slide about the time they thought balance and fairness were more important than truth and accuracy.

While there are many reasons for their decline, I think their tendency to be little more than stenographers to power hurt them badly.

Enabling Bush, talking about the global warming “controversy” long after there was none etc. has been an attempt to broaden their audience by not taking sides — but newspaper readers are thoughtful folks. If you don’t give them truth and context they’ll quit coming.

As Eric Severied said, during the McCarthy era:

“Our rigid formulae of so-called objectivity … have given the lie the same prominence and impact that truth is given; they have elevated the influence of fools to that of wise men; the ignorant to the level of the learned; the evil to the level of the good.”

Why would anyone waste two bits on that kind of pap?

When journalism ceased to be a profession and became a business venture, it was doomed.

By: Dano

Dano — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 23:23:30 +0000

I agree Earl.

It’s easier to get away with things if the public has little or no information. Hopefully sites like Talking Points Memo can pick up the slack, but corporate control of the media is making us far less informed than I’d like.

Best,

By: Earl Killian

Earl Killian — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 21:38:42 +0000

Unfortunately with newspapers going, we are also losing investigative journalism. I suppose that is why two thirds of the graduates of “journalism” schools go into PR.