Why are newspapers in trouble?

[Rich P]

Years ago I subscribed to a daily (the SF Chronicle) and did enjoy it. When I moved south to Silicon Valley, I lost interest. The SJ Merc years ago had some interesting things once in a while but not enough to justify the effort to recycle it on a daily basis. A friend sent me the "headlines" listed below and it dawned on me that the problem is the newspapers need to reinvent themselves as COMICS! As someone once said, "Read it and weep"! (The really funny part is I was taught that a free press is an important part of democracy.) (Apologies to those who have already read these...please renew your subscription today.)

Something Went Wrong in Jet Crash, Expert Says
No crap, really? Ya think?


Police Begin Campaign to Run Down Jaywalkers
Now that's taking things a bit far!


Panda Mating Fails; Veterinarian Takes Over
What a guy!


Miners Refuse to Work after Death
No-good-for-nothing' lazy so-and-so's!


Juvenile Court to Try Shooting Defendant
See if that works any better than a fair trial!


War Dims Hope for Peace
I can see where it might have that effect!


If Strike Isn't Settled Quickly, It May Last Awhile
Ya think?!


Cold Wave Linked to Temperatures
Who would have thought!


Enfield (London) Couple Slain; Police Suspect Homicide
They may be on to something!


Red Tape Holds Up New Bridges
You mean there's something stronger than duct tape?


Man Struck By Lightning: Faces Battery Charge
He probably IS the battery charge!


New Study of Obesity Looks for Larger Test Group
Weren't they fat enough?!


Astronaut Takes Blame for Gas in Spacecraft
That's what he gets for eating those beans!


Kids Make Nutritious Snacks
Do they taste like chicken?


Local High School Dropouts Cut in Half
Chainsaw Massacre all over again!


Hospitals are Sued by 7 Foot Doctors
Boy, are they tall!


And the winner is....
Typhoon Rips Through Cemetery; Hundreds Dead
Did I read that right?

[Woodwerker]

Good Topic...

Truth is, at least in my opinion, newspapers are too liberal in thier reporting...
I have canceled both Philly papers due to thier slant. They have the right to report any way they want, just as I have the right to seek my info from other sources.
That and the web have both killed papers

[LinuxRandal]

There is no such thing as a free press, unless you own one. Well, between CL and blogs/the internet, the press doesn't have exclusivity anymore.

[billwmeyer]

Papers

Of course the internet is killing the papers. Our local paper just keeps cutting the things that people want. They chopped the comics in half, and eliminated one day of publication. The thing that they don't do is get enough local news. If the mayor goes to a grand opening of a business, they snap a picture, but don't really have a story about the business. Injury accident? It depends on what time of the day it happened. Then there might be a picture again, but only a caption. I don't want to see a picture of kids sledding in the snow three states away. I want local happenings. They started charging for publishing the obituaries. I even had trouble with the delivery man. I don't have a bird cage to line, or a puppy to paper train, so I gave up on the paper. I think it is a shame.

Bill

[jhart]

A few months ago, I bought a new laptop to use/keep on our main floor. Partly because I get up early, well before the paper gets here. I figure it won't be long before there isn't a Minneapolis Paper, so now I do some morning searching before the paper arrives. Sort of conditioning myself for when we no longer get it.

[Uncle Cracker]

Whether in print or on the internet, news outlets and those who write for them have forgotten how to use the English language, or how to edit.

[leehljp]

Rupert Murdock loves money and recently said in effect he doesn't think internet news organization should be giving away news for free. They should be charging! Could it be that he owns several "print" news companies besides the WSJ?

He griped a couple of weeks ago because the WSJ developed and gave away for free - a news gathering or searching app for the iPhone and iPod touch. He thought that they should charge for it!

[cabinetman]

Those headlines are funny. The problem with newspapers, and TV news as well is that everything has already happened. They are history reports. A real news paper should deliver what will be new(s), like what's going to happen tomorrow.
.

[BobSch]

Whether in print or on the internet, news outlets and those who write for them have forgotten how to use the English language, or how to edit.

Many papers, in an attempt to control costs, have done away with their proofreaders. After all, It went through the spellchecker so it must be correct, right?

Added to that is a seeming inability of people to use the language correctly. The next time I hear someone say "Me and her went to the store" I'm going to dope-slap them, and their parents, and their teachers.

[dbhost]

Added to that is a seeming inability of people to use the language correctly. The next time I hear someone say "Me and her went to the store" I'm going to dope-slap them, and their parents, and their teachers.

I ain't not seen nuthin wrong wit dat....

[dbhost]

Okay folks, I had to poke at the incorrect English usage posts. I think they are funny. Sad, but funny.

I will NOT get into why newspapers, and even broadcast TV news outlets are doing so poorly. I cannot give my opinion without it going political. Let's just say that if you look honestly, and objectively at what is being printed, and broadcast, it is obvious to even a casual observer where the bias is. And it does not truly fit in with the mainstream of American society.

[twistsol]

My biggest gripe is that there seems to be a fair amount of laziness in the press / media of all types but it seems the worst in the papers. They simply will reprint, or shuffle and reprint any statement given to them by politicians. There's no challenge, no fact checking, and no digging to get to the root of the story. They are just regurgitating the opinions with which they agree and dismissing or derriding those that conflict with their assumptions and beliefs.

We haven't received a newspaper at our house for about 5 years.

[jackellis]

We do continue to take the paper, though I have to confess it now takes me about 5 minutes to read everything but the comics. Force of habit I suppose, and LOML clips coupons. At Tahoe, we won't get a major newspaper. LOML will sign us up for a community rag instead.

I think it's fair to say that all written materials have at least some bias. History is written by the victors. Authors have to pick and choose from among the materials they have available. There's subtle bias and overt bias. And finally, I remember a variation on the New York Times' masthead from my high school days, "All the News that Fits The Print".

[Uncle Cracker]

And finally, I remember a variation on the New York Times' masthead from my high school days, "All the News that Fits The Print".

That's like our local overzealous TV newshounds... I've long said that their credo should be "When news breaks, we show up and try to fix it..."

[JR]

I get the LA Times. I can get the print version electronically for less than paper delivery. I'll probably move to that option soon.

The Times is still a good paper, particularly in the news, sports, and entertainment sections. The business section has shriveled to practically nothing, but they do have good coverage of entertainment business issues, which is a topic of much interest in this region. The Op-Ed pages are less than they could be, but they periodically print a Bill Maher piece, which usually makes me laugh.

I read on Op-Ed piece in another local rag not too long ago. The writer, a Phd something or other, was writing on a political topic. Several times in his very-biased piece he used quotation marks in such a way that I couldn't tell if he was actually quoting the politician in question, or was doing the print version of "air quotes". Now THAT made me angry.

JR