Comments on: Stella investigates: the death of the newspaper and the future of journalism http://www.greatwhatsit.com/archives/7569 The daily organ of the Northeast Corridor Social Club Sat, 11 Feb 2012 04:32:57 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: LP http://www.greatwhatsit.com/archives/7569#comment-62337 LP Fri, 02 Oct 2009 21:11:06 +0000 http://www.greatwhatsit.com/?p=7569#comment-62337 "The Post is a gritty city paper that was elevated during Watergate. It covers federal government and accountability reporting that should never go away, but the political reporting is challenged by Politico." This is an interesting and important observation. Ever since Watergate, the Post has considered itself a top-tier paper, on a par with the New York Times. But especially in the last 5-6 years, that hasn't been the case at all. The Post does win a fair number of Pulitzers, and there are plenty of top-rate reporters. But the overall quality of the paper, from top to bottom, doesn't match that of the NYT. The Post also has a split personality, which doesn't help: It wants to be relevant on the national / world stage, but it has never been available in paper form anywhere but the DC area, while the NYT distributes nationwide. Over the years, it has veered between trying to be the national leader for government / political news, but the top editors have also focused intently on drawing more local readers. It can't quite decide what it wants to be. “The Post is a gritty city paper that was elevated during Watergate. It covers federal government and accountability reporting that should never go away, but the political reporting is challenged by Politico.”

This is an interesting and important observation. Ever since Watergate, the Post has considered itself a top-tier paper, on a par with the New York Times. But especially in the last 5-6 years, that hasn’t been the case at all. The Post does win a fair number of Pulitzers, and there are plenty of top-rate reporters. But the overall quality of the paper, from top to bottom, doesn’t match that of the NYT.

The Post also has a split personality, which doesn’t help: It wants to be relevant on the national / world stage, but it has never been available in paper form anywhere but the DC area, while the NYT distributes nationwide. Over the years, it has veered between trying to be the national leader for government / political news, but the top editors have also focused intently on drawing more local readers. It can’t quite decide what it wants to be.

]]> By: Marleyfan http://www.greatwhatsit.com/archives/7569#comment-62334 Marleyfan Fri, 02 Oct 2009 17:18:18 +0000 http://www.greatwhatsit.com/?p=7569#comment-62334 Local newspapers (or new startups) may move to entirely online because of the printing and distribution costs; the public will always want local news which provides not only information but a sense of community (city council, police blotter, weddings/births/and deaths, local sports, etc.) Local merchants will still pay for advertising especially if it doesn't cost as much. And, local goverment offices shell out alot of clams for mandated legal notices. Local newspapers (or new startups) may move to entirely online because of the printing and distribution costs; the public will always want local news which provides not only information but a sense of community (city council, police blotter, weddings/births/and deaths, local sports, etc.) Local merchants will still pay for advertising especially if it doesn’t cost as much. And, local goverment offices shell out alot of clams for mandated legal notices.

]]> By: Dave http://www.greatwhatsit.com/archives/7569#comment-62331 Dave Fri, 02 Oct 2009 15:36:34 +0000 http://www.greatwhatsit.com/?p=7569#comment-62331 As for the Washington Post, its quality has <em>really</em> fallen off in the ten years I've been reading it. Here's <a href="http://yglesias.thinkprogress.org/archives/2009/10/waposts-continuing-contempt-for-its-readers.php" rel="nofollow">Yglesias</a> today on a persistent problem there. <a href="http://www.prospect.org/csnc/blogs/beat_the_press" rel="nofollow">Dean Baker</a> has items about the crappiness of the Post every day (not that other papers escape his wrath). As for the Washington Post, its quality has really fallen off in the ten years I’ve been reading it. Here’s Yglesias today on a persistent problem there. Dean Baker has items about the crappiness of the Post every day (not that other papers escape his wrath).

]]> By: Dave http://www.greatwhatsit.com/archives/7569#comment-62329 Dave Fri, 02 Oct 2009 15:01:28 +0000 http://www.greatwhatsit.com/?p=7569#comment-62329 This is a really interesting interview that raises some great questions. The news media business is changing rapidly, and it seems that newspapers, which have been trying not to change much since the middle of the last century, are finally having to adjust. And we're losing a lot in that process of change -- although we're also gaining some things, as the interview points out. The question of who will pay for the expensive, labor-intensive side of journalism -- investigative reporting, covering city council meetings, etc. -- is very much open. Will that kind of journalism continue at all? Will we need to find not-for-profit funding streams for it? This is a really interesting interview that raises some great questions. The news media business is changing rapidly, and it seems that newspapers, which have been trying not to change much since the middle of the last century, are finally having to adjust. And we’re losing a lot in that process of change — although we’re also gaining some things, as the interview points out.

The question of who will pay for the expensive, labor-intensive side of journalism — investigative reporting, covering city council meetings, etc. — is very much open. Will that kind of journalism continue at all? Will we need to find not-for-profit funding streams for it?

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