washwords

I just finished reading The 10 Major Newspapers That Will Either Fold or Go Digital Next – TIME.

Sigh. Time isn’t missing the irony that I read this on its Web site. It linked me here  –How to Save Your Newspaper – TIME — next, in double irony, a story about, among other things, the danger of hyperlink to the print-based world of yore.

Why does it matter? Aren’t I the exact example of someone who consumes news/info/WORDS online and loves it – quicker, faster, sleeker? Yes.

And yet…

I will NEVER buy a Kindle. Nev. er.

I hate the idea of them (sorry amazon), the idea of not being able to pick up my dad’s college copy of Emerson when I study Transcendalists in college, reading and writing over, around, and alongside the notes he took. Handing off my favorite childhood book to a new kid friend. In the same way, I would never advise fellow writers or readers to edit anything be it a two line blog post or a dissertation online only. You must read the printed word. Outloud preferably.

In the above article, Isaacson mentions, that actually the problem is not readers.

There is, however, a striking and somewhat odd fact about this crisis. Newspapers have more readers than ever. Their content, as well as that of newsmagazines and other producers of traditional journalism, is more popular than ever — even (in fact, especially) among young people.

The problem is that fewer of these consumers are paying. Instead, news organizations are merrily giving away their news.

Giving. It. Away.

Why does it matter, to me, personally? Sure, because I have friends hurt directly and friends of friends. And more, because I love this former profession, still vocation, deep in my heart and my soul.

Maybe you do, too. Maybe you don’t.

The tension between the business and the news of journalism has always existed. But, in its simplest form, you can’t have one without the other. This online addict will be resubscribing to some of my favorite publications in the next few days. Just don’t use my checks to create newspaper kindles… please?

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In The Declining Value Of Redundant News Content On The Web – Publishing 2.0 Scott Karp examines the media Oversatura-plosion-ama that is the Interweb.

Microsoft withdrawing its offer to buy Yahoo is a sufficiently large story to demonstrate the problem of redundant news content on the web. Google News is currently tracking about 2,000 versions of this story. To get a better sense of why it’s a problem to have 2,000 stories about the SAME THING, I’ve reproduced about ten percent of them below — just the headlines and ledes. If you have the stomach to scroll through them all to see what else I have to say about it, check out the sources as you scroll:

This scroll (go check it out; we’ll wait) went on and on … and … It didn’t even count the blogs that repeated the same story or the multiple versions of each one, or editions or…

Conserve paper? Conserve time! and brain cells!

I find I’m facing a similar conundrum with “social media tools.” For someone (me) who once considered going to library school, and has been a lifelong researcher/journalist and social scientist (especially the Read the rest of this entry »

So, apologies in advance and I’m prepared for the onslaught of sacrilege-accusing mail. I really don’t mean any offense, it’s I just… I so don’t get this whole Pope thing. But why mock it myself when Fox news has done so for me. Except I don’t think they meant to. I bring you actual quotes from DC Fox News “live continuing coverage of the papal visit” (so funny I had to delay watching top chef and i’m thinking Jon Stewart’s writers can probably take the night off and just show this.)

The quotes (again, DIRECTLY from channel 25, foxnewsdc. Thanks foxnewsdc!)

• “That may have been the reason for his smile as he hopped in his popemobile…”
• “two Catholic schoolgirls were invited inside…”
• photo caption: “Dillon Smith: met the pope” Read the rest of this entry »