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Newspaper Morgue
“Virtually all the predictions about the death of old media have assumed a comfortingly long time frame for the end of print—the moment when, amid a panoply of flashing lights, press conferences, and elegiac reminiscences, the newspaper presses stop rolling and news goes entirely digital. . . . But what if the old media dies much more quickly? What if a hurricane comes along and obliterates the dunes entirely? Specifically, what if The New York Times goes out of business—like, this May?”
—Michael Hirschorn, writer, Atlantic Monthly, 2009
(Thanks—I think—to alert WORDster Alexandra Halsey)
(Thanks—I think—to alert WORDster Alexandra Halsey)
MORE FROM THE MORGUE: The Hearst Corp. informed staffers at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer Friday that the 146-year-old newspaper will cease publication in 60 days unless a buyer is found. (Click here for story.)
Today in History
1991: Divided Congress OK’s BushI plan to use force to eject Iraq from Kuwait; 1971: “All in the Family” debuts; 1954: J. Foster Dulles announces “massive retaliation” strategy in Cold War; 1932: Hattie W. Caraway, D-Ark., becomes first woman elected to the Senate; 1926: “Sam ’n Henry,” the original “Amos ’n Andy,” debuts on Chicago radio; 1926: House rejects proposal to give women the vote; 1879: British-Zulu War begins; 1773: first museum in America, in Charleston, S.C.
What's really so confounding about all of this is that broadcasters get blamed for shallow reporting because of time limits. So what medium can give you all the details you say you want? ...the medium that people say they can't support anymore. [We're killing off] the one you can hold in your hand, study, put down and come back to later -- and the material will still be there. In today's hectic world, you'd think the newspaper would be an anchor. Go figger.
ReplyDeleteIn this case, the medium is NOT a magazine like The Atlantic, with its reliance on know-nothing Harvard academics (I teach part-time there, so this is not envy...). The article provokes discussion, but by shedding heat, not light.
ReplyDeleteThe article is painful to read -- it conflates the effects of the digital revolution with the effects of recession and comes to insane conclusions.
I'll believe there's not a market for print when my non-virtual mailbox stops filling up with junk mail. But newspapers MUST let go of outmoded internal structures that cause them to be their own worst enemies. They MUST learn to market themselves effectively . . . and not based on dated images of watchdog posturing and "on your side" paternalism. They MUST open their eyes to new markets as did the penny-press papers of the 19th century, many of which became the biggest contenders of the 20th century. If newspapers don't do these things, then, yes, they will die. But it won't be because the market wasn't there.
ReplyDeleteOur paper, The Oregonian, deserves to die. It holds a very conservative editorial stance in the most liberal town in the nation. Looking forward to its replacement.
ReplyDeleteWhile I agree that actual newspapers like the New York Times may seem somewhat dated in a definitely technologically advanced society, I don't believe that they will go out of business anytime soon. "Old People" aren't the only ones who read it still. When I am on campus I, along with hundreds of other students, walk through the TSC and grab a copy of the Statesman and The New York Times and read it before my other classes start. To say that no one reads the paper except for old people is being far too stereotypical. Yes we live in a digital era, but it’s still nice to be able to walk outside and have a copy of the Herald Journal sitting on your front porch. Many of the larger newspapers also have websites with the exact same stories. Soon they may just cut all the costs from printing out the paper and just doing it all online? Who knows what the future holds….
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