It's telling, in an ironic way, that today's last issue of the Rocky Mountain News drew special praise for a story online, told in a medium that represents the threat -- and the promise -- of journalism's future."I've never even had the pleasure of reading the Rocky, yet, I'm sitting here just shedding tears after watching this heartbreaking video,'' wrote Anonymous@12:05 p.m. "I simply cannot get my brain around what is happening to an industry I have loved so much.''
The beautiful video is Final Edition, by the Rocky's Matthew Roberts.
Most who read this blog would probably say that there is a lot of anger and frustration in the journalism and newspaper worlds. No longer is it just the angry readers calling to complain, the people whose jobs it is to do the storytelling have now found things so unbearable in the industry that they must vent, bitch, express frustration. Call it whatever you want, but now more than ever people are angered.
ReplyDeleteI always thought that newspapers would die due to a lack of readers. I am sad and happy to say that I was wrong. People are reading and taking in more information than ever before. Newspapers are dying for other reasons, the Internet is chief among them, however it's not the only reason.
There is a reason that SO many newspaper people are so angry and frustrated these days. People have been blocked out of the process to help be a part of the solutions at most properties. Instead, a handful of corporate-made robots are leading the charge these days and failing miserably. There is something that makes newspapers so special to so many people. I often think back on that "Grow Your Own" program out of Des Moines and still am wondering what they were thinking. Leaders are born leaders. Period. The influence of corporate culture at America's newspapers, combined with greed, are why papers like the Rocky have been put to bed. In the Rocky's case there were still about 211,000 daily subscribers.
Did you participate in the "grow your own" program? I did. And at the time, they didn't want to hear the real issues or suggestions. It was smoke and mirrors and brainwashing. Just like "on-sites"....don't tell us the real issues or air the dirty laundry. Remember the planted questions at the breakfast meetings....all scripted.
ReplyDeleteHow sad that Laura Frank -- one of the smartest investigative journalists working today -- now finds herself out of work. I truly hope someone has the sense to pick her up quick.
ReplyDelete9:52 p.m., Ditto. Spot on.
ReplyDeleteThe real losers are not those of us who lost their jobs.
ReplyDeleteThe real losers are the readers, in this case the 211,000 people who bought the Rocky every day.
RIP.
The beginning of the end for Gannett was in 1967 when the stock went public. That changed the focus in the BIg bosses' minds to focus on making sure the stockholders get their profit rather than the readers getting good news.
ReplyDeleteOf course the BIG bosses will say otherwise. But whenever a decision comes down to what makes sense to readers vs. what makes sense for the stockholders, guess who wins — EVERY TIME.
It's interesting because if you look at all these failing papers individually, most of them are turning profits when measured as a single entity.
Newspapers and news corporations in general should NOT be publicly traded companies. End of story.