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This is fundamentally not true. The massive disruption of this industry isn't from Japan/Germany or banana republics or China, this is pure change in distributi

This is fundamentally not true. The massive disruption of this industry isn't from Japan/Germany or banana republics or China, this is pure change in distribution. It's analogous to music or movies or tv, only none of those industries fancied themselves as the "fourth estate" while the getting was good. The ground moved beneath the feet of this industry and as much as they like to sit around and acknowledge that with self-loathing NYT pieces, I'm not sure they've accepted it. Seems like there's still a lot of sitting about and grumbling about how bad it is and how much better it was when back when. Or worse, how relevant they really, really, really still are cough David Carr cough. See The Newsroom on HBO for example of this version of onanistic self flagellation.

brandnewlow 14y ago
What does an HBO-produced show about TV news, written by someone who majored in musical theater and never practiced journalism, have to do with the newspaper industry's self-image? My point was that every profession has times when it's full of elitists that think they've got some special dispensation to carry out their work. That comes with the mindset of being a professional. And eventually walls come down as the output of a profession becomes commoditized.
- look_lookatme 14y ago
  Why does the elitism inherent to "every profession" of the "last century" have more relevance than a piece of socially critical art by a writer who has made a career of cultural criticism (however flawed). Is the critique of news in The Newsroom irrelevant to this conversation because of the platform or because the guy had a theatre degree? Both? Regardless, I don't get your point. All things fail? Everything comes to an end? Great. Write an existential letter to NYT. My point is there is a generational myopia that is pervasive in journalism still. There is an unwillingness to acknowledge, fully, that it's over. Donezo. It's never coming back. You can call out NYT in an NYT column and you can call out Newhouse and you can point out how fucked AOL Patch is and yet you are just writing for all the readers and writers who are terrified that things are changing. It's probably the same point you are making, but I find your approach annoyingly pithy.

brandnewlow 14y ago

What does an HBO-produced show about TV news, written by someone who majored in musical theater and never practiced journalism, have to do with the newspaper industry's self-image? My point was that every profession has times when it's full of elitists that think they've got some special dispensation to carry out their work. That comes with the mindset of being a professional. And eventually walls come down as the output of a profession becomes commoditized.

look_lookatme 14y ago
Why does the elitism inherent to "every profession" of the "last century" have more relevance than a piece of socially critical art by a writer who has made a career of cultural criticism (however flawed). Is the critique of news in The Newsroom irrelevant to this conversation because of the platform or because the guy had a theatre degree? Both? Regardless, I don't get your point. All things fail? Everything comes to an end? Great. Write an existential letter to NYT. My point is there is a generational myopia that is pervasive in journalism still. There is an unwillingness to acknowledge, fully, that it's over. Donezo. It's never coming back. You can call out NYT in an NYT column and you can call out Newhouse and you can point out how fucked AOL Patch is and yet you are just writing for all the readers and writers who are terrified that things are changing. It's probably the same point you are making, but I find your approach annoyingly pithy.