Read a little. Learn a lot. • Tightly-written news, views and stuff • Follow us on Twitter • Be a Facebook Fan • Tumble us!

24 Mar 2009 21:20

tags

Politics, U.S.: Maryland senator wants to save the newspaper, legislatively

  • About the bill Sen. Benjamin Cardin of Maryland introduced a bill today that would allow newspapers to be treated as nonprofit organizations and get tax breaks. They would not be able to make political endorsements (i.e. opinion sections), but they could report objectively on the news, including political campaigns. Cardin says the loss of journalism “is a real tragedy for communities across the nation and for our democracy.” source
  • About the bill Sen. Benjamin Cardin of Maryland introduced a bill today that would allow newspapers to be treated as nonprofit organizations and get tax breaks. They would not be able to make political endorsements (i.e. opinion sections), but they could report objectively on the news, including political campaigns. Cardin says the loss of journalism “is a real tragedy for communities across the nation and for our democracy.”
  • Why it’s needed In case you haven’t read the tone of this blog when we’re not making fart jokes, this is about journalism and its long-term future. Newspapers are getting closed left and right. Recently, the Ann Arbor News announced that it would fold its print edition, which is a big deal because Ann Arbor, Mich. is a one-paper town. This trend is not good for the economy, it’s not good for local news and it’s not good for the public. source
  • About the bill Sen. Benjamin Cardin of Maryland introduced a bill today that would allow newspapers to be treated as nonprofit organizations and get tax breaks. They would not be able to make political endorsements (i.e. opinion sections), but they could report objectively on the news, including political campaigns. Cardin says the loss of journalism “is a real tragedy for communities across the nation and for our democracy.”
  • Why it’s needed In case you haven’t read the tone of this blog when we’re not making fart jokes, this is about journalism and its long-term future. Newspapers are getting closed left and right. Recently, the Ann Arbor News announced that it would fold its print edition, which is a big deal because Ann Arbor, Mich. is a one-paper town. This trend is not good for the economy, it’s not good for local news and it’s not good for the public.
  • Reactions You can imagine some people like this a lot, while whiny cranks don’t. A sample: “Seriously, after all that the Media has done to this Country, to think that I would want them to survive is asinine. Stop the presses, shutter the doors, fire the editors and let’s all do this online or by word of mouth.” Here’s an editorial statement: People who say things like this are freaking idiots. Even when you say you don’t love them, you know you really do. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

18 Mar 2009 23:13

tags

Politics: We’re late to the Clay Shirky newspapers bandwagon, but he’s right

  • He’s right, you know Shirky makes this argument that all the stuff that the newspaper industry is doing right now is essentially trying to prop up an unsustainable model ruined by the Internet. Well, yeah. It’s the nature of creative destruction, something I wrote about a couple of months ago. But despite this, the content itself is more popular than ever. We read it because we love it. Even when we bitch and moan about the bias, we secretly love it.
  • Nothing will work Shirky’s main point: Experiment like crazy. Fail. Lose your shirt. Because you might eventually come up with a new type of thread which is a lot better than the one that held together your crappy shirt. I’d like to think that I got his point without having to be told it bluntly. I think a lot of people I know didn’t really get his point until it hit them in the face so hard that they couldn’t stop staring and they felt stung. It’s creative destruction. Don’t fight it.
  • Everything might work My friends are getting laid off, event the ones outside the newspaper industry. Newspapers are getting closed. The media feels like a watchdog that’s running out of sweet, sweet kibble. And it’s not because kibble’s in short supply – it’s because it’s getting dumped into a different bowl and it has a slightly different taste. It’s not going back into the old bowl. And you’re going to starve to death eating stale kibble. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

16 Mar 2009 22:25

tags

Biz, U.S.: P-I’s online focus: An evolution away from print

Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

16 Mar 2009 22:09

tags

Biz, U.S.: Seattle learns to live life with one less newspaper

  • The Post-Intelligencer will print its last issue tomorrow after 146 years of publication. It will survive as an online-only pub. source
  • Just a handful of employees will be kept on for the online venture. Sadly. :( Stay strong, former P-I staff! We got your back! source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

13 Mar 2009 13:33

tags

Biz, U.S.: One of Seattle’s papers is probably gonna die. Let’s look back.

A local radio station takes a good look back at a Seattle (and American) newspaper institution. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

12 Mar 2009 10:11

tags

Biz, U.S.: Hey look, a big graphic on how much newspapers are sucking

See the bigger dot that says “Milwaukee Journal Sentinel?” I used to work there. Good luck, all. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

09 Mar 2009 09:45

tags

Biz: Newspaper giant McClatchy cuts staff en masse

  • 15% of all employees will be laid off. Awesome job, guys. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

06 Mar 2009 15:41

tags

Biz: Let’s shoot holes through that “nobody reads newspapers” argument!

  • 30% of people read the print edition of a newspaper daily or near-daily source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

25 Feb 2009 10:54

tags

Biz, U.S.: More newspaper death and destruction – in San Francisco

  • The Chronicle’s screwed The San Francisco Chronicle, one of the largest papers in the country, has been bleeding money for years. It lost a modest $50 million last year. Yesterday, it told its staff that it either must cut costs significantly, including workers, or it will die. At the least, it will probably sell. source
  • The Chronicle’s screwed The San Francisco Chronicle, one of the largest papers in the country, has been bleeding money for years. It lost a modest $50 million last year. Yesterday, it told its staff that it either must cut costs significantly, including workers, or it will die. At the least, it will probably sell.
  • The industry sucks A long list of papers, including ones in major cities like Seattle and Denver, are also on death watch right now, and they may not make it through the next month, let alone the next year. Hate to say it, but Mark Andreessen is sounding more right by the day. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

23 Feb 2009 21:44

tags

Biz, Tech: Netscape founder says print is dead. Screw you, buddy!

  • Stop the presses tomorrow. I’ll tell you what. The stocks would go up. Look at what’s happened to the stocks. This investors are through this. The investors are through the transition.
  • Marc Andreessen • The guy behind NCSA Mosaic, Netscape and Ning, talking about how newspapers should stop killing dead trees on Charlie Rose. Clearly, he’s optimistic. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 1 Comment • Permalink
 
<< newer 
top tags
older >>