Friday, April 10, 2009

I'm afraid, folks ...

... that I agree: Life After Newspapers.

A newspaper industry that was a ward of the state or of high-minded foundations would be sadly compromised. And for what? You may love the morning ritual of the paper and coffee, as I do, but do you seriously think that this deserves a subsidy? Sorry, but people who have grown up around computers find reading the news on paper just as annoying as you find reading it on a screen.
For the defense: Why We Shouldn't Let Newspapers Die.

If you think the news is a public good, then it's reasonable to think about propping it up.
What I think is that Kinsley is right: "... there is no reason to suppose that when the dust has settled, people will have lost their appetite for serious news when the only fundamental change is that producing and delivering that news has become cheaper."

Then there's this: Bail out journalism.

This will be my last column for the L.A. Times. After four years, I'll soon be starting a stint at the Pentagon as an advisor to the undersecretary of Defense for policy.


Amazing how many journalists have found employment in the new administration. Home is where the heart is.

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