This is a fascinating article in the American Spectator on the year that the decline of the American newspaper began.
According to William Murchison, the decline began in 1974 as a different breed of reporter began to gravitate to the newsroom in many newspapers.
And, what is significant about 1974?
It is the year that two of the most famous journalists of all time, Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward, reported on the Watergate scandal involving one president, Richard M. Nixon.
It was their reporting that led to the resignation of Mr. Nixon and sent some administration officials to jail.
Now, I think that almost anyone entering the journalism profession today wants to do something similar and or the same thing as Bernstein and Woodward. And so does Mr. Murchison.
Does anyone remember the old Night Stalker television series? Starring the late Darren McGavin, he was a rumpled reporter that dealt with, shall we say the supernatural. But, it is that image of the intrepid reporter that Mr. Murchison deals with. Ol' Kolchak was not trying to bring down anything. He was trying to report a story. No matter how wacky it seemed to be.
It was clearly a generational as well as ideological shift.
And, there is no question that it has fundamentally changed the newspaper industry.
And, it is to their detriment.
And, the bleeding will continue until those in charge realize why they have lost so much readership and credibility.
Read Mr. Murchison's article. It is an eye-opener.
3 comments:
After having read the L. A. Times for over 40 years I let my subscription go last year. As a businessman myself I understand well one of the fundamentals of business, "don't alienate a large number of your customers".
The pure arrogance of the newspaper industry looks to end in their ultimate demise and it seems that either they don't recognize it or don't care to change, even if it means their survival.
The only thing left for liberals to infect with their noxious ideology is government so we can expect things to get worse for the average citizen in the short term. Obama and the Dems in Congress are no different than the newspapermen and the result to government most likely will follow the same path.
you know 64 i often wonder about this, have we entered a new partisian age, which has led to the down slide of the media? but we have always had, i will use this term with a broad stroke, a left leaning press. even back in the dawn of our nation it could be said the voices of the press were negative. (and that is what a left based media is!) it does seem like americans have had enough of their news like this, but why "now" is a big question!
Well, you've referenced an obscure television show in your latest attempt to analyze a cultural issue, so I guess we can call that an improvement or sorts.
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