Frank Rich: The American Press on Suicide Watch

[Me.]

The American Press on Suicide Watch

“IF you wanted to pick the moment when the American news business went on suicide watch, it was almost exactly three years ago. That’s when Stephen Colbert, appearing at the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, delivered a monologue accusing his hosts of being stenographers who had, in essence, let the Bush White House get away with murder (or at least the war in Iraq). To prove the point, the partying journalists in the Washington Hilton ballroom could be seen (courtesy of C-Span) fawning over government potentates — in some cases the very “sources” who had fed all those fictional sightings of Saddam Hussein’s W.M.D.

Colbert’s routine did not kill. The Washington Post reported that it “fell flat.” The Times initially did not even mention it. But to the Beltway’s bafflement, Colbert’s riff went viral overnight, ultimately to have a marathon run as the most popular video on iTunes. The cultural disconnect between the journalism establishment and the public it aspires to serve could not have been more vividly dramatized.

The bad news about the news business has accelerated ever since. Newspaper circulations and revenues are in free fall. Legendary brands from The Los Angeles Times to The Philadelphia Inquirer are teetering. The New York Times Company threatened to close The Boston Globe if its employees didn’t make substantial sacrifices in salaries and benefits. Other papers have died. The reporting ranks on network and local news alike are shriveling. You know it’s bad when the Senate is moved, as it was last week, to weigh in with hearings on “The Future of Journalism.”

Not all is bleak on the Titanic, however. The White House correspondents’ bacchanal was on tap for this weekend. And this time no one could accuse the revelers of failing to get down with the Colbert-iTunes-Facebook young folk: hip big-time journalists now stroke their fans with 140-character messages on Twitter. Or did. No sooner did boldface Washington media personalities ostentatiously embrace Twitter than Nielsen reported that more than 60 percent of Twitter users abandon it after a single month.” Cont…

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/10/opinion/10rich.html?_r=1

[Cha]

1. And, our Stephen Colbert was

the catalyst they didn't even get:silly:

[EFerrari]

10. Stephen was brilliant. That will be the high water mark

for any comedian at that event for the next fifty years.

[Arctic Dave]

2. Who would have thought that a lack of integrity would have a negetive effect.

Shrugs.

[Gabi Hayes]

3. very perspicacious of you, Frank. too bad you were much less so when you

SAVAGED Al Gore back before there were such things as twitter, and people paying attention to bloggers like Bob Somerby, who tracked the garbage from you and your ilk, like your pals at the NYT editorial section

[grasswire]

4. hey!

where ya been?

[Gabi Hayes]

6. been mostly taking a break from politics....way too depressing

couldn't stay away today, though

just about had my fill, though

watching Ralph Kramden running for office on MeTV

that's more my style these days

how bout you?

[Gabi Hayes]

8. now, a Get Smart episode, with Vincent Price as master acid Chemist

apparently dosing Maxwell S

show opens with Smart on a 'trip'

AWEsome!

if MeTV is national, it's well worth a look

[MannyGoldstein]

5. Would You Like To Point Us To Said Savagery?

Was it about outsourced torture, which Gore green-lighted (he was in his DLC phase then).

[Gabi Hayes]

7. doubting my word, eh?

I gave you a hint....exercise your pinkies....

Gore's by no means perfect, but my POINT was that Rich was quite unfair to Gore, and not from a left perspective, which I assume you assume

[Jim Sagle]

9. That was then, this is now. Get over it. /Scalia off

;)