"I Read the News Today.....Oh Boy!" (Eric Alterman - The Nation)

[KoKo]

I Read the News Today... Oh Boy
the liberal media
By Eric Alterman

This article appeared in the August 4, 2008 edition of The Nation.

The dearth of decent ideas designed to save newspapers--or reinvent them for the digital age in ways that preserve their crucial democratic functions--is curious and depressing. It's curious because some of the smartest, most ambitious and most civic-minded people in America are deeply engaged with the problem. It is depressing because the only ones with the self-confidence to undertake radical measures appear to be completely off their respective rockers.

Take the example of the Tribune Company's new owner, Sam Zell. Leaving aside his penchant for potty-mouth rejoinders for those who question his judgment, Zell has done nothing to slow the slide in the company's fortunes and much to accelerate it. Scrambling like mad for cash to service the company's debt, Zell sold off the profitable Newsday and borrowed $300 million against future earnings, a clear sign of panic. To advise him on long-term strategy, he has appointed as "chief innovation officer" Lee Abrams, a man who was apparently surprised to learn that reports datelined "Baghdad" are actually produced by reporters in Baghdad. His suggestion: "photos of the reporter with Iraqi kids" to advertise this fact.

Writing on his blog, Abrams mused that newspapers were "TOO NPR," (caps in original), which he found "a bit elitist." He would rather have newspapers "study the feel of a well honed All News Radio station," which he defines as "being INTELLIGENT... not intellectual."

The more one listens to the men and women at the top of the industry, the more it becomes obvious that the survival of the newspaper--the primary information-gathering and knowledge-disseminating instrument of American democracy--is going to have to come from somewhere else. Sure, the blogosphere makes some invaluable contributions and a few foundations are rising to the challenge of funding investigative journalism. Carnegie Corporation president Vartan Gregorian recently suggested to me that universities might attach a small fee to their students' tuition--like an activities fee--to pay for the newspaper subscription of their choice. This would improve the newspapers' bottom line, give their advertisers access to a coveted demographic and, if successful, would inculcate in the students the habit of newspaper reading as they approach maturity as voting citizens. It's a great idea, and unlike most of what one hears at these conferences, it is on scale with the problem. Unfortunately, young people do not appear to want to pick up a newspaper, even for free. They often leave them lying around, even at journalism schools, where they are distributed gratis.

I don't have a better idea, except to repeat, again, the following: the loss of daily newspapers is a significant threat to the future of our democracy. It is far too important to be left in the hands of a bunch of clueless media moguls and their "chief innovation officers."
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20080804/alterman/print

[Tutonic]

1. In a free market society print media that was relevant and served a

purpose would have no need for college students or others to falsely subsidize the publication. I applaud Zell Miller for hastening the demise of a worn out and irrelevant newspaper. I'd like ot see him and hate other "media giants" move on and do the same with Television News, weekly magazines (i.e, time,s Newsweek, etc) and any other media group that assumes that the public will read or listen to whatever drivel they can muster. This is not hate post office or head start where a service is performed and therefore subsidization is an acceptable action. This is a capitalist nation and if there is no longer a demand then it should fail to exist.

[Tutonic]

3. Sorry for the above response. Wording out of place.

[MicaelS]

2. The problem with newspapers

As with most of the print media, is that it has been long subsidized by advertising. When the advertising goes, so goes the media. Even Alterman, is still too worried about advertisers. Fuck the advertisers.

[bemildred]

4. The loss of the state propaganda organs, AKA "The Mighty Wurlitzer", is no loss at all.

Others are filling the vacuum they will leave behind them as we speak.