Today, some news courtesy of the Drudge Report:
FLASH: USA TODAY ad sales fell 27% in June...
AJC cutting staff by 200...
President and Publisher to Leave NEWSWEEK...
WSJ SHAVES 50 FROM PAYROLL...
OREGONIAN closing 3 metro bureaus...
This is very grim for the Dinosaur, Drive-By Mainstream Media-newspaper edition.
The question is why?
Can not blame the Internet. Newspapers have always survived bad economic times. Maybe, maybe it is. . .hmm, content?! Maybe, bias? Maybe, no serious competition?
The truth is that if one looks at the top ten newspapers in the United States, most are in cities where it is the only game in town. Los Angeles, Houston, Dallas, Miami, Phoenix, Portland, Oregon, and for that matter Portland, Maine. The list goes on and on.
With no competition and getting in bed with, by and large, very left-wing big-city Democrats, these media titans are being shown for the pygmies that they really are.
Take the closest big city fishwrap in my neck of the woods, the Left Angeles Times.
The Times is bleeding at an alarming rate. Sure, when they announced last week that they were cutting the size of the newspaper 15% they blamed a stagnant economy. They have not taken a real self-analysis of itself and who they target.
So, I will do it for them.
Much of what passes for news at The Times is news "analysis" which really is the reporters and editors biases on parade. Why, just today was an "article" that Americans may be losing faith in the free market http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-losingfaith16-2008jul16,0,1516735.story. Really? Based on what? Read the article. See if there is not a bias in the reportage.
If The Times actually stuck to journalism 101, reporting the facts in as unbiased as humanly possible, they probably would be able to cut more than 15% of the total size of the newspaper.
Take the Minneapolis Star-Tribune and the Portland, Oregon, Oregonian. These are newspapers in two fair to say left-of-center cities. But, they also would want to appeal to larger audiences outside of Minneapolis and Portland.
But, no, they can not go without a huge bias in both newspaper's sports sections.
Ever read a line score? You know, the score by innings or periods, halfs or quarters? In most newspapers in the United States, the team nickname is right above the stats of the game. Like this:
Indians 5-Braves 3
What is wrong with that? Well, several years ago, the sports editors of both the Star-Tribune and Oregonian decided, since those are Indian/Native American names, that is a no-no. It might be offensive. The fact that in poll after poll of Indian/Native Americans, this is not an issue, clearly to a couple of sports editors, it is such a travesty, they now run the line scores as this:
Cleveland 5-Atlanta 3
There is no other way to drive away sports fans, what used to be a huge proportion of newspaper readers, than to put politics on the sports page. Now, with sports-talk radio, ESPN cable television, and the Internet, these paragons of virtue now are way down a sports fan's source of information.
Since I really believe in newspapers, I am here to offer some advice and assistance to get these newspapers back on track and maybe even make some money.
Firstly, remember, there is more than a base readership. Realize that there are people who want to read your publication, but do not find it relevant. Realize that there are conservatives, Republicans, hard-core sports fans, church-going folk and that they are part of the community as well. Do not be so tribal to think that because it is the Los Angeles Times, all you cover is Los Angeles. Yet, sell your newspaper in Riverside County. Have to give those folks a reason to drop a couple of quarters in the slot at the news rack or even subscribe.
Secondly, balance out the op-ed pages.
Several ways to do that.
Publish who is on the newspaper editorial board. If the board votes how an editorial is written, reflecting the newspaper's view, publish the vote. Also, have the writer sign his or her name to the editorial. The Weekly Standard conservative newsweekly magazine has done that from day one.
Also, since in most major markets, since you are the only newspaper in town, balance off the opinion pages. Make sure there are equal number of conservative, liberals and even middle-of-the-roaders.
Third, make many enemies on all sides. People will believe that any newspaper is trying to be, dare I write, fair and balanced, when it goes after people on all sides and organizations and political entities in investigative reporting. Make the reporting relevant. Now, all that we are seeing are articles that claim domestic abuse is on the rise due to a faltering economy. Please!
Lastly, stop being so invested in a Sen. Messiah Barack victory that you will not write and or print and critical articles on Sen. Messiah Barack. Why in this past Friday's Left Angeles Times was a beautiful hit piece on Sen. John "F--- You" McCain's failed first marriage. Where is an article that is critical of Sen. Messiah Barack in a DDBMSM newspaper? I am still looking for it as well.
At least pretend that there is still another newspaper in any one-paper city.
These are just some suggestions. The newspaper industry did not get here overnight and it will take a long time to recover. I just offer some seemingly common-sense approaches that may get some newspapers back. Some may not survive. But, I will be always here, ready, willing and able to help get once great newspapers back. A strong democracy must have a strong, free press. Not one that is lazy and protective.
6 comments:
this is a tough one to figure 64, because in all honesty they have to be losing "left" readers as much as "right" readers. and with it being slanted left you wouldn't think that would be the case!!!!
Hmm, but I think that conservatives are leaving behind the DDBMSM-newspaper edition-at a faster clip. Just think about the way many a sports section is done. Most sports fans tend to be, and it is a generalization, conservative males. Most sports writers, I am afraid, are of the mindset of Keith Olblermann. That is just a part of the problem. if they can get back the sports reader, that would be amazing.
I don't think it's so much the bias itself that explains the loss of circulation, after all, that bias has been an integral part of the mainstream press for decades. It's the spreading recognition and *rejection* of that bias.
When there was no other game in town it was just ... the news. That's all there was. You could, for example, stop watching CBS or ignore the NYT due to their intolerable bias, but what was left? "Less" biased sources?
Now due to the success of conservative radio and the ability to search the Internet for news sources that don't infuriate us with their bias, people have much greater access to unbiased or right-leaning biased news. Once exposed to THAT on a regular basis, something that wasn't widespread just a few years ago, the left-leaning bias of everyday news sources is all too apparent, and intolerable.
My local paper makes a valiant attempt to be unbiased, but they have space to fill and must use the usual biased news sources to do so. Even an attempt at fairness is difficult for them. Where DO news organizations go to get news written without a strident political bias?
Good point, Doorhold. For the most part, the small papers get the "news" from the AP, the New York Times News Service and the Washington Post. And it will only get worse as more and more cuts are made at newspapers of all sizes accross the United States.
I do think it is the internet, to a certain extent.. i think people feel they can find the truth on the internet, whereas they are stuck with whatever they get in the papers. truth or not.
plus, it's free.
"... it will only get worse as more and more cuts are made at newspapers of all sizes accross the United States."
Oh crap, you are right. I have ALREADY noticed an increase in the use of wire services in the local paper, though I didn't make the connection that it is likely a money-saving move on their part.
I already skip large sections of the paper, knowing in advance it will piss me off with lefty/ socialist clap-trap. I've been wondering when I will reach the point that there's just not enough left to justify the subscription. And that's with a paper that often states they are making an honest attempt to avoid bias.
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