I was running with @Mr_Schwartz the other day, and we were (once again) coming up with solutions to the world’s most difficult problems. Unfortunately for the world, I’m not doing too much distance these days, so there isn’t enough time to fix every problem. Nonetheless, the topic of conversation this cold and rainy night was the news. See, @Mr_Schwartz made a funny comment to this post last week, but in making a joke he also made an excellent point:
Why is is that NO ONE in the popular media has talked about how much this guy looks like Stephen King? You don’t see many of those haircuts out there, and if you do then they aren’t hung on jack o’ lantern sized noggins like this guy. AND he wears track suits??? Awesome!
We have someone that is trying to turn himself into the most stereotypical corrupt politician since the Mayor “diamond†Joe Quimby on The Simpsons.
I need these angles played, media! Do the work, Campbell Brown! You have to earn it…
I’ve been harping on this for a while in a roundabout way. It’s a little baffling to me that newspapers are continuing to struggle in a market where the appetite for news is insatiable. Of course, the management of newspapers can lay some of the blame at the feet of bloggers, but the fact that bloggers are beating them at the news game seems like proof to me that the market is thriving. Is this just a management issue?
I’ve also realized that so many people at the top of the news business (print in particular) are still dealing with old standards that no longer exist. Instead of using the tools available and realizing that there has to be a balance between newsroom/tech crews, there are some local papers that are just seeing the dark at the end of the tunnel.
That’s a scary proposition to me, and I’ll tell you why. I’m afraid that the death of newspapers is going to be the death of news stories.
Not the death of the dissemination of news facts–I can get those on Twitter. Actually, I prefer to get them there real time.  Not the death of news analysis–I can get that on countless blogs and cable stations. Actually, I can just read my own blog for that.
But news stories that are investigated, fact checked, pieced together through multiple interviews and accounts may actually disappear with the newspaper. I would hate to see that happen. Anyone with time to hit 140 buttons can tell a lie on Twitter, and blogs are like opinions–everybody’s got one. But writers who can piece together and accurately tell a story are rare, and a lot of them are working for newspapers…for now.
The good news is, I believe there’s a place for these folks online. I think the ability to accurately tell a good news story is about as rare on the web right now as it is in newspapers (yeah, ouch). And I think journalists who are enterprising may utlimately find they are more comfortable and productive working for themselves online instead of working for bosses who just don’t get it.
But that’s just the opinion of a guy behind a keyboard at 7:30 am…not a proven fact, and definitely not researched. 😛
It’s too bad, because I really enjoy my “paper” newspapers in the morning with breakfast. As hooked as I am on the computer, I still like the feel of newsprint.
The 24 hour news media needs a lot of improvement. They need to get rid of all the pretty people (except Mika) and stick with real newsfolk.
It’s amazing how much air time was used this morning to replay SNL skits. Hey, we saw it! On SNL!
For journalists it is worthwhile in any case to work online, they are destined for better paid.
news media is very important for us and they have to maintain their status