I've thought for a long time that newspapers need to just print the news and quit worrying about who they offend.
The most recent example of this failure to report the news is the Rod Blagojevich story out of Chicago. Several newspapers ran copies of the crime complaint against Blagojevich but edited it to remove what exactly he said. Umm, isn't this a BIG part of the NEWS?
From the Chicago Tribune: "Hold up that [expletive] Cubs [expletive]," she is quoted as saying in the background. "[Expletive] them."
Thanks for giving me the general idea, I guess. However, any savvy news junkie who wants the actual news can depend on the Internet in this case: "During the call, ROD BLAGOJEVICH’s wife can be heard in the background telling ROD BLAGOJEVICH to tell Deputy Governor A 'to hold up that fucking Cubs shit. . . fuck them.'”
I'm not suggesting that reporters freely sprinkle their stories with four-letter words, but sometimes, those four-letter words are part of the news and, as such, should be dutifully reported.
I know some readers will complain. Let them.
Newspapers need to do their jobs and quit worrying about news that's not pretty. Most news isn't. Are we going to tell people what's going on or not? If not, there's not much point in grieving over shrinking news holes.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Friday, December 12, 2008
Sinking ships
I've been away for a bit (lots of changes) but I have kept up with news about newspapers and it just gets worse.
The Tribune Company (Chicago Trib, LA Times, among others) has filed for bankruptcy. Thanks to a mound of debt accrued when it bought out Knight Ridder, McClatchy has the Miami Herald for sale. Sadly, rumored buyers include a real estate developer and a Big Sugar family, per Bob Norman's Daily Pulp. Also for sale is the Rocky Mountain News, which will close if no buyer is found within the next month or so. This would leave Denver with one newspaper, which is run, unfortunately, by Dean Singleton.
Unfortunate, because he once said this: "We, as an industry, got carried away with investigative reporting," he complained. "We investigated everything that moved, while circulation plummeted because our readers didn't want it. Some people say we owe it to readers to give them what they need. Bullshit."
Granted, he changed his tune in later interviews. Let's hope he stick with that, especially if the RMN disappears.
Layoffs are nothing new for newspapers and they continue: Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Dallas, Tampa, LA, San Jose, Seattle, Oklahoma City, Charlotte, Raleigh, Fort Worth, Newark ... well you get the picture.
I had been debating whether I would even consider applying for a newspaper job but this year has decided it. I'm focusing my job search on public relations, advertising, marketing or whatever else strikes my fancy. I will continue looking at writing and editing jobs on the Internet.
For someone who grew up surrounded by newspaper ink and has planned to work for those papers since high school, it's a sad time. It's a sad time for us all.
The Tribune Company (Chicago Trib, LA Times, among others) has filed for bankruptcy. Thanks to a mound of debt accrued when it bought out Knight Ridder, McClatchy has the Miami Herald for sale. Sadly, rumored buyers include a real estate developer and a Big Sugar family, per Bob Norman's Daily Pulp. Also for sale is the Rocky Mountain News, which will close if no buyer is found within the next month or so. This would leave Denver with one newspaper, which is run, unfortunately, by Dean Singleton.
Unfortunate, because he once said this: "We, as an industry, got carried away with investigative reporting," he complained. "We investigated everything that moved, while circulation plummeted because our readers didn't want it. Some people say we owe it to readers to give them what they need. Bullshit."
Granted, he changed his tune in later interviews. Let's hope he stick with that, especially if the RMN disappears.
Layoffs are nothing new for newspapers and they continue: Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Dallas, Tampa, LA, San Jose, Seattle, Oklahoma City, Charlotte, Raleigh, Fort Worth, Newark ... well you get the picture.
I had been debating whether I would even consider applying for a newspaper job but this year has decided it. I'm focusing my job search on public relations, advertising, marketing or whatever else strikes my fancy. I will continue looking at writing and editing jobs on the Internet.
For someone who grew up surrounded by newspaper ink and has planned to work for those papers since high school, it's a sad time. It's a sad time for us all.
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