Bean Counters

“Newspapers are always dying, and someone is always killing them. Radio was supposed to bury them. So was television. So was their aging readership. So was USA Today. So was the Internet. The latest murderer: the corporate bean counter. He breaches the Chinese Wall between business and editorial, cares more about the stock price than about the front-page lead, favors stories that focus groups want to read, and talks constantly about ‘product.’”

—David Plotz, reporter, “Los Angeles Times Publisher Mark Willes: In praise of the ‘cereal killer,’" Slate, 1997.

• Editorial Comment: Is it cynicism or just irony that you’re reading this sad tale online?

PeezPix

Hmmmm. Let me think.

 

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“I don’t think writers are sacred, but words are. They deserve respect. If you get the right ones, in the right order, you can nudge the world a little.” —Tom Stoppard