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May 25, 2012
Mark Clayton: Is Hillary's State Dept. hacking Al Qaeda? Not quite
Erika Bolstad: Temple cancels Wasserman Schultz speech
The Kosher Gourmet by Ethel G. Hofman: The former president of the International Association of Culinary Professionals, whose members included the likes of Julia Child, is back with contemporary Shavous cuisine: Ruby Fruit Soup, Sweet Noodle Kugel with Cheese, Key Lime Curd, Calsone Casserole Frittata with Wild Mushrooms, Sun-dried tomatoes and Olives, Baked Tilapia with Pepper Cheese Cream and Brown Sugar Shortbread
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
May 4, 2007
/ 16 Iyar, 5767
Printers' ink blues (save the tears)
By
Wesley Pruden
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
The news about American newspapers is only semi-bad, but you'd never know it from all the weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth on Wall Street.
The attempted kidnapping this week of the Wall Street Journal, which Rupert Murdoch covets to make a compliant cog in his media machine, has focused attention on newspapers and why they're such targets for the barons of finance. Nearly everyone is rooting for the owning Barclay family of Boston to keep the Journal and its reputation safe from Lord Copper, but the stakes are so enormous that nobody is betting against the king of the tabloids.
The big newspapers still make a lot of money. But "a lot" is not enough for the masters of the universe, who can't understand why anyone would consider a newspaper crucial to a community's self-esteem. "Public trust" might as well be the name of a small ripe bank in Dubuque. A return of 15 percent on investment is beyond the wildest dreams of avarice for many investors, but it's chump change for a chief accountant who could squeeze out another percentage point if he really tried.
The circulation of some big-city newspapers is down, down, down again as readers continue to gravitate to radio, television, the Internet and blissful ignorance. The Dallas Morning News is down 14 percent. Similar declines were posted by other newspapers in the most recent circulation audits, including the Memphis Commercial Appeal and the San Francisco Chronicle.
For those of us old enough to remember the golden age of journalism, such sad tales of hard times reek of pure fantasy. How could it be true that intelligent readers are turning their backs on reading? How can a man be well-informed if he doesn't read? (Who needs to be informed?) It was never thus only yesterday.
The Commercial Appeal, for example, is the stuff of legend. During the Civil War, as the Yankees closed in on Memphis, the editor took a few sticks of lead type and his hand press, commandeered a railroad car on a passing train headed south and for the next few months the newspaper was published in a half-dozen states. The Yankees ran it to ground in Alabama three years later. When I was a reporter on "the Old Reliable" in an earlier century, the newspaper was held in such high repute that once, when the bailiff of a Mississippi court couldn't find a Bible to swear in a witness the judge sent him down to the depot for a copy of the Commercial Appeal. "Make sure it's a fresh copy, with no fingerprints on it," His Honor told him. Try that with a laptop.
Newspapers were once held as a responsibility to the town, usually by families content to live in the biggest house on Easy Street, to dine well with no envy of the kind of riches to beggar a caliph. The typical copy editor, trying to make enough sense of a news story to put a headline on it, could tell you who owned the newspaper in nearly every town and city in America: the Binghams in Louisville, the McCormicks in Chicago, the Chandlers in Los Angeles, the Sulzbergers in New York, the Heiskells in Little Rock, the Carters in Fort Worth, the Evanses in Nashville, the Grahams in Washington. The families ran their newspapers carefully, and they were important because they were deeply rooted in their communities. Now most of the big-city newspapers are owned by the chains, who regard them merely as sweet plums ready for plucking. Editors are transferred so frequently they rarely remember where to pick up their shirts. The paper in San Antonio looks like the paper in Nashville which looks like the paper in Rochester which looks like the paper in Orlando.
Besides that, it's all free on the Internet, so why buy it? "News has become ubiquitous, free and as a result, a commodity," says Walter Hussman, the owner and publisher of the Arkansas Democrat Gazette in Little Rock, a director of the Associated Press. "Not many years ago if someone wanted to find out about what was in the newspaper they had to buy one." Now it's free. Any bordello madam would tell you that you can't sell it if you give it away. Pogo the comic-strip possum said it more politely: "We have met the enemy, and he is us."
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.
JWR contributor Wesley Pruden is editor in chief of The Washington Times. Comment by clicking here.
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