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Honestly, I think it might be better if these old news companies die off, and clear space for a newer generation that understands the internet better. We have 2
by dalbasal 8y ago
Honestly, I think it might be better if these old news companies die off, and clear space for a newer generation that understands the internet better. We have 20 years years of anecdata now.
The old news publishers will never make it online. They see their financials problems as being cause by a moral failing in society: "People do not value quality, and won't pay for it" or somesuch. They see the solutions as legalistic. Some law or industry association which will guarantee them an income.
Meanwhile, on their own sites... They run one small square of content, overlaid and surrounded by loud, flashing ads. They plug in every last bit of ad-spy software available. They run fake news, via their "native content" widgets selling scams using blatant lies on literally fake news articles. Kettle, meet Pot.
The only solutions they can think of are legalistic. An industry association that can stand up to google and demand money. A law that guarantees someone (anyone) pays them.
There's no vision. The few, moderate paywall success stories are considered revolutionary. What does this add up to? Eveyone picks a newspaper or two, subscribes and reads just them? Have you not noticed how the internet works?
Meanwhile, at least 50% of any broadsheet is straight plagiarism. Plagiarism is normal in news media. Does a paper pay another paper when they report on a report? Does twitter (or trump) get paid when your front page is an article about a tweet? Kettle, remember Pot from before?
I really think there's no hope. Most of these dinos aren't going to make it. Don't let them break the internet on their way out.
- krapp 8y ago>Honestly, I think it might be better if these old news companies die off, and clear space for a newer generation that understands the internet better. We have 20 years years of anecdata now. The internet isn't some hip new technology only the young people understand. You act as if old media companies must still use rotary phones and manual typewriters, but these companies have changed with the decades and have adapted to the internet like everyone else. They understand the internet perfectly well, they just disagree with you about how they should use it.
- dalbasal 8y agoI'm claiming that many/most news companies that formed their culture in the pre-internet days have failed to find stable business models, and they are looking to legislation for a fix.
- krapp 8y agoBut most companies on the internet have failed to find a stable business model - including companies which presumably do "understand the internet better." Even Google has trouble making money on Youtube, which is about as new media as new media gets. That problem isn't unique to pre-web companies or their cultures, it's a result of the nature of the web itself.
- dalbasal 8y agoI'm not saying if you started before a certain year you are guaranteed to fail, I'm observing that many did. I'm also observing that they are trying to solve their problems by lobbying for specific laws, ones that (imo) are, on balance, bad.
- deleted 8y ago[deleted]
- Scarblac 8y agoThe "old news publishers" employ actual journalists. They should not be allowed to die off.
- dalbasal 8y ago.. decreasingly so.
- deleted 8y ago[deleted]