tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32199165.post5553807530219192295..comments2024-03-28T15:26:12.621-04:00Comments on Blue Country Magic: Newspapers in a Death GripCountryDewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03243893531509380824noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32199165.post-3941528388131663062008-04-28T10:58:00.000-04:002008-04-28T10:58:00.000-04:00Media consolidation has always been a problem. My ...Media consolidation has always been a problem. My old hometown paper was owned by Ottaway Newspapers, which was in turn owned by Dow Jones, and is now owned by that horrible Australian person.<BR/><BR/>As early as 20 years ago, I had friend who were working on a small newspaper who were told that they could work no more than exactly 29-1/2 hours, 30 hours being the cutoff point for benefits like health insurance.<BR/><BR/>But in short, you're so right that newspapers have MADE themselves irrelevant.redsneakzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03601491021519995930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32199165.post-85231564644890193932008-04-03T04:28:00.000-04:002008-04-03T04:28:00.000-04:00Oops, meant to mention. The Fourth Estate. I vag...Oops, meant to mention. The Fourth Estate. I vaguely remember this refers back to the Three Estates represented in the States General in old France. The first estate was the clergy, the second the nobility and the third the common people. Something like that. Anyway, the Fourth Estate were those who stood outside the system to observe and report on it: the press. I think.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32199165.post-29875415868176106822008-04-03T04:23:00.000-04:002008-04-03T04:23:00.000-04:00What an excellent analysis. I think you are spot ...What an excellent analysis. I think you are spot on in much of this. Mind you, your faith in the common man may be misplaced. My experience in Another Country is that the papers which cater to the common man back torture and other brutal practices and festoon their papers with naked girls sporting large chests! They are also blatantly partial in their political affiliations - mostly to the Right of course. That's where the money and the bigotries are. There are far more of such papers here than papers trying to establish the Truth and communicate it. And these papers have much smaller readerships. Millions buy papers to gawp at page three girls, get themselves up to date on celebrity gossip and read calls to "hang 'em and flog 'em" (not the page three girls and celebs, but they are sexually prudish when it comes to homosexuality and so on). A few hundred thousand buy papers to find out what is happening in the Congo, for example, and what went wrong with Northern Rock. All I am saying is that you are probably speaking on behalf of the ears of the unCommon man and woman, those who are listening, not just talking, and looking at the world in search of understanding and enlightenment, not at pretty people in search of titillation. Which just makes the need the greater, in my opinion. A free and informed press telling things as they are is essential to the proper functioning of a Democracy, at both local and national level. The commercialisation and commodification of the media have been disastrous to this.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32199165.post-77372842622360442632008-04-02T17:17:00.000-04:002008-04-02T17:17:00.000-04:00Excellent! I hope you can get this published somew...Excellent! I hope you can get this published somewhere. I saw a PBS show on this topic, largely around what has been happening to the LA Times and many other newspapers have been following suit, going more local and less national. So what, now they want me to read my local paper, the Roanoke Times AND the Washington Post. Have you noticed Iraq is rarely on the RT cover anymore. I cringed when I saw the Hokie Bird Cover. <BR/><BR/>Two most excellent points: That blogs and online news sites are not going out and doing investigative reporting but are mostly commenting on the reports others in news print make. And the sad truth about the medium being in the hands of a few who have political agendas and only see it as a money making business. <BR/><BR/>It's as bad as what has happened to health care. I'm so discouraged by it all.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32199165.post-75181182824838557212008-04-02T11:26:00.000-04:002008-04-02T11:26:00.000-04:00I don't buy newspapers. I used to have a paper de...I don't buy newspapers. I used to have a paper delivered but that was only to support the paper round of a boy across the road.<BR/><BR/>When he quit, we cancelled. <BR/><BR/>My boyfriend loves to read newspapers though.TopChamphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03377737494575644509noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32199165.post-66961807988775322008-04-02T10:40:00.000-04:002008-04-02T10:40:00.000-04:00Agreed. But I think part of the problem is that n...Agreed. But I think part of the problem is that newspapers don't want to "buy the cow if they get the milk for free", hence my stance that instead of hiring people or paying a fair wage they're becoming more dependent on other's doing their job for free. In the long run having a reporter cover three counties dilutes the paper's substance. Penny wise, pound foolish...Roanoke RnRhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07135900149266075237noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32199165.post-39604526914290878892008-04-02T10:29:00.000-04:002008-04-02T10:29:00.000-04:00Ms. E, one of my points is that there aren't enoug...Ms. E, one of my points is that there aren't enough people for the investigative journalism. That kind of thing takes time, and if a reporter is busy covering three counties, when is there time to do anything more than cover the surface? It simply can't be done.<BR/><BR/>I think the community thing is overdone myself, but this article touted it as the reason for HuffPo's success and newsprints' loss. I think it is the lack of personnel that most hurts newspapers.CountryDewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03243893531509380824noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32199165.post-37310112890737090952008-04-02T09:33:00.000-04:002008-04-02T09:33:00.000-04:00There will always be a newspaper beside me as I ha...There will always be a newspaper beside me as I have my cup of coffee. I miss the good ole investigative journalism that once was a staple of newspapers. I'm tired frankly of hearing the word "community", almost as tired as hearing the phrase "young professionals". Our local paper seems to be shrinking and is touting the "community" aspect which they sorely crave. I think I read they are even getting rid of Neighbors now, which I felt had a place, yet was too segregated to be effective to really be "community" driven. Another one of those good ideas poorly executed. Now, it seems to me they are looking to have local bloggers do their job, for no pay. Big mistake.Roanoke RnRhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07135900149266075237noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32199165.post-53491488925711847602008-04-01T20:42:00.000-04:002008-04-01T20:42:00.000-04:00By Jove, I think you've got it! I, too read for th...By Jove, I think you've got it! I, too read for the <I>why</I>. And the who, where, what, and how.<BR/><BR/>I have been a reader of newspapers since I was a kid—back when they contained actual news. Used to, a paper would last a while—it actually had news. I couls pick it up on and off all day and find something new each time.<BR/><BR/>Now papers are ad-driven rather than news driven, and we're the poorer for it. But we can read them a lot faster. <BR/><BR/>Darn it!Becky Mushkohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11833297935575559624noreply@blogger.com