| A few weeks ago I was gathered with the ladies with whom I"booze and peruse" over books, a book club of sorts. We got on the topic of newspapers. Sadly Denver lost the Rocky Mountain News, and for those who didn't subscribe, it was a great loss. Though the Post and the News had a Joint Operating Agreement, they were different papers. And while we won't get it back, we stand lose another paper. So many people have gotten rid of their subscriptions because of either the loss of the News, they never read it, everything is posted online anyway, etc. Well, as readership goes down, so will the paper. One friend said that night, a subscription to the paper could be seen in some ways as a kind of community tax. Just as I pay taxes, so somebody else's kids can go to public school, so should they get the paper, so I can have one delivered to my door. Not everyone can access news online, so let's not lose our paper. Even Tom's parents get the Sunday edition in northern New Mexico. Really...$5 a month! For $5 a month I get a paper everyday. There are recipes every Wednesday. During these weeks of Spring, the Grow section comes out every Friday. What would Sunday breakfast be without a couple pages of the funnies in color?!? People will pay $5 for a rental movie, twice that much for a movie in the theater! A fancy coffee drink doesn't last a whole month, nor will a pint of some quality beer from the bar. But for $5 a month, the newspaper employs a lot of people...not just writers, but printers, photographers, marketing reps, and a whole lot of morning delivery crews. Of all the ironies, promoting a newspaper online on a blog! Ridiculous, I know, but if we didn't sit on the porch working that Wednesday crossword three weeks ago, would Tom & I be engaged already? |
Monday, May 18, 2009
Random post about the Post
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The downfall of the US newspaper is a little more complex than simple readership numbers....a lot has gone into their continued downfall, which started long before the internet took over news. Simply stated, it was their arrogance that they could never be touched, that they could never be topped, and that they never had to change. As someone with a journalist background, it is somewhat sad, and somewhat exciting to see media take on a new form.
The biggest thing that the on-line world can't bring are the long coming, in depth stories. It takes someone working a specific beat for a long time to recognize when something changes and needs to be investigated. You just don't get that sort of commitment from on-line sources - at least not yet.
The fourth estate will rebound and make a new home. We are beginning to see some of those foundations being built, with on-line content charges for a lot of the major news organizations coming soon....but it will take a while.
I still love sitting down and reading a paper (which I do several times a week), but until they start reporting on actual news and doing actual research...I will continue to look for my news on on-line independent sites...not from corporate owned papers.
Just some thoughts....
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