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May 24, 2012
Jeff Jacoby: The peace process battered Israel's reputation
Michael Muskal: 'Pro-choice' position hits record low, according to poll
Chris Farrell: Are We in a Tech Bubble?
The Kosher Gourmet by Penelope Wall: PHILLY CHEESE STEAKS --- hold the steak!
May 23, 2012
Tony Pugh: More private colleges offering tuition discounts
Mary Beth Franklin: How to Choose the Right Annuity for You
Tina Susman: The wig wasn't enough: Man gets 13 years for posing as his dead mom
The Kosher Gourmet by Emma Christensen:A simple way to do fish right
May 22, 2012
Warren Richey: Can US group challenge overseas surveillance act? Supreme Court to decide
Thomas M. Anderson: Walking Away From a Mortgage
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: Enjoy a celebration of the most rich and layered flavors: Black bean, sweet potato and quinoa chili
May 21, 2012
Mark Clayton: Cybersecurity: How US utilities passed up chance to protect their networks
Howard LaFranchi: NATO summit: Who will foot the bill for long-term Afghanistan security?
Chris Farrell : Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Stephen Whiteside, Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: Social anxiety disorder --- or just shy?
Guy Jackson : Victim's father regrets death of Lockerbie bomber
The Kosher Gourmet by Mario Batali: Famed chef's veal shoulder farsumagru: A festive meat course for late spring
May 18, 2012
Rabbi Berel Wein: Striving: The People of the Book's Book for (All of) the People
Steven Goldberg: 5 Great Stock Picks and the Exchange-Traded Fund that Owns Them
Mary Pickett, M.D.: Ask the Harvard Experts: Don't be forced into gluten-free lifestyle based merely on a doctor's false-positive test
The Kosher Gourmet by Carolyn Malcoun: DIY healthy lunchbox treats: HOMEMADE FRUIT BARS for kids and brown-bagging adults alike
May 17, 2012
Warren Richey: Teacher fired for being unwed and pregnant can sue religious school, court rules
Josh Mitnick: Netanyahu's 'centrist' coalition is already proving it's anything but
Steven Goldberg: Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Amina Khan: Research links coffee to lower death rates
The Kosher Gourmet by Faith Duran : Cheesy Potato Breakfast Casserole with Cheddar and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
May 16, 2012
Carmen Terzic, M.D., Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: A variety of exercises can help improve balance
Melissa Healy: National strategy on Alzheimer's disease aims to halt it by 2025
The Kosher Gourmet by Joyce White : GOODNESS GRACIOUS: GREENS! 4 winning recipes that are no longer just for down-home folks (Includes expert tips & techniques)
May 15, 2012
Kristen Chick: Obama administration resumes arms sales to Bahrain despite serious unresolved human rights issues. Activists feel abandoned
Pat Mertz Esswein: Homes are now affordable again and mortgage rates are low. What you need to know before you buy
Kathy Kristof: Our Practical Investor Fights Inflation with These 6 Investments
Sue Hubbard, M.D.: The Kid's Doctor: Lactose intolerant young child? Check again
The Kosher Gourmet by Kathy Hunt: Spread a Little Excitement with EXOTIC CONDIMENTS (4 RECIPES)
May 14, 2012
Lisa Gerstner: How to Protect Your Identity, Finances If You Lose Your Phone
Harvard Health Letters: Heart disease and dementia
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: MANGO COCONUT OAT MORNING MUFFINS are a bright but hearty delight
May 11, 2012
Jessica L. Anderson: Get the Best Deal on a Used Car
Jett Stone: Forget face-lifts and fake knees. Scientists have seen the fountain of youth --- and it's broccoli
The Kosher Gourmet by Chef Mario Batali: The famed chef's vegetable dish that tastes true to the season: FAVAS AND SUGAR SNAP PEAS WITH POTATOES AND TARRAGON
May 10, 2012
Sergei L. Loiko: Putin sends warning to U.S., NATO in Victory Day speech at Red Square
Mary Rourke: How being a 'mentch' got Vidal Sasoon his start and fighting in Israel's War of Independence provided him with confidence and a strong sense of his own identity
Jeff Bertolucci: Get Home Phone Service for Less Than $10 a Month
The Kosher Gourmet by Betty Rosbottom: Gleaming with its golden, crimson, and snowy white hues, this silken smooth and creamy STRAWBERRY ORANGE TRIFLE looks impressive, but is easy to prepare
May 9, 2012
Sharon Palmer, R.D. How you can reduce your risk -- or delay -- chronic diseases associated with aging
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Jewish World Review
Nov. 25, 2005
/ 23 Mar-Cheshvan, 5766
Extra! Extra! Read All About You!: Pandermonium strikes the newspaper industry
By
Gene Weingarten
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
My column today is about you personally, and about how cute your cat is. Or dog. Or, if you don't have a pet, it is about your kid, who is the smartest and best-behaved child I've ever known, unless your child is an adult, in which case you should be very proud of all he has accomplished. Or she.
Wait. Hang on a minute. Gotta get a grip here. We newspaper journalists are getting a little desperate for readership these days. The newspaper industry is undergoing a period of strategic self-appraisal, which is a business term for "blinding terror." Every day, newsrooms across the country are hearing about declining circulation, and this always seems to come as a shock. We journalists a famously skeptical and analytical group of people just can't seem to understand why people aren't buying as many subscriptions as they once did, and are instead reading our online versions, which we give away free.
The Web, in general, seemed to take newspaper publishers by surprise. They knew that they had to become a part of this bold and exciting new technology, on the theory that they'd eventually figure out how to make it pay. They are still trying to figure it out. (When they do, it will be a big story, which they'll immediately post on their Web site for maximum readership.)
Me, I'm not that personally worried about declining circulation. As the comics pages alone amply demonstrate, there will always be a market for infantile humor. No, I'm more worried about the things that newspaper editors are trying to do in an effort to stop the decline in circulation. Editors seem to believe that the way to attract more readers is to be nicer and more responsive to them, reversing a hallowed, hundred-year tradition in which journalists treated readers like fungi. Back in the crusty old days when newsmen gargled scotch from tankards, smoked cigars as thick as bratwurst and pistol-whipped sources into talking readers were essentially seen as nuisances. When a reader came into a newsroom with a complaint, he would be sent from desk to desk, finally being directed to the "complaints department," which turned out to be the fourth-floor urinal.
Today, if you have a complaint, the publisher himself will come to your house, apologize, wash your car, do your dishes, and so forth. Desperate, is what we are.
Desperation often leads to disaster. Some months ago, the Los Angeles Times tried a grand experiment in which it permitted readers to actually add their own commentary to the paper's online editorials. This worked splendidly for a whole, entire day, with thoughtful people posting erudite, respectful observations, until the porn began. By day three, when the experiment was discontinued, the vaunted online Latimes.com editorial page looked like the sort of Web site advertised with subject lines like HOTT BU$TY V*XENS PERFORRRM WTH L!VE GO*ATS ON V!A!G!R!A.
Just the other day I learned of something even more disturbing. To show how much it values its readers' viewpoints, the Spokane (Wash.) Spokesman-Review has begun a program called the "transparent newsroom." The editors invite the public to news meetings, encouraging them to watch and even participate as the editors discuss the news of the day, their plans for coverage, etc. With no disrespect to the members of the public you know who you are I think this is a terrible idea. If a horse produced by a committee comes out looking like a camel, a horse produced by a committee that is being assisted by well-intentioned, earnest, helpful, highly opinionated members of the public who happen to have this kind of time on their hands, if you know what I am saying, would come out looking like a . . . like a . . . like a . . .
"a wildebeest!"
I am quoting Doug Clark, who is a metro columnist for the Spokesman-Review. I'd phoned Doug and asked him to finish my simile. All kidding aside, though, I figured that, as a team player, Doug must be pretty doggone proud of his newspaper's new policy of openness. I asked him for his view of the transparent newsroom.
"My view? Well, I try not to look that way," he said. "It's a little to my right, so if I just look straight ahead, I can avoid ever having to see it. All I see is my old movie poster for something called the 'Cattle Queen of Montana.' Ronald Reagan is in the background, and Barbara Stanwyck is in front with her hand on a six-gun, and the poster reads, 'She strips off her petticoats and straps on her guns!' I prefer focusing on that. I can get all the inspiration I need right there about how to deal with the public."
Okay, maybe there's hope.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
Gene Weingarten writes the Below the Beltway humor column for The Washington Post. To comment, please click here.
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