Pravda and Izvestiya

The chickens finally came home to roost for the Mitchell family, soon to be the former owners of the Times Argus and Rutland Herald.  Cutting back to four days a week and trying to rely on internet revenue wasn’t going to cut it.  Fortunately for them a sucker white knight came to the rescue. (is “white knight”…racist?)

Ever since the internet became the vehicle of mass communication the dead tree media has been in decline, especially in that most important category…revenue. So how does a newspaper generate revenue? Selling advertising of course, no different then commercials on television which produce revenue for the networks.  Television advertising revenue depends on “ratings”, newspapers depend on circulation.  One problem is that a lot of people can read it for free by passing it around or taking it out of the recycle bin.  I don’t think anybody gets home delivery anymore.

I’m old enough to remember when the  “Valley News” sold for 7 cents, but over the years the price kept going up and the content kept going down. I remember when “Dick Tracy” was removed by the editors because it was deemed to violent.  P.C. in its embryonic stage.

Many years ago a city of any size at a least two newspapers. During the Civil War newspapers were very partisan,  consider the critiques of Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.

Chicago Tribune: “The dedicatory remarks by President Lincoln will live among the annals of man.”

Chicago Times: “The cheeks of every American must tingle with shame as he reads the silly, flat and dishwatery utterances.”

Journalism used to be the 5 “W’s”, who, what, when, where, and why.  Investigative reporters sought to expose corruption, wither political or corporate and it didn’t matter the political party. Those days are long gone.

Today the vast majority of “Journalist” are very partisan. They are wedded to leftist ideology and they consider themselves members of an elite class. They attempt to crush one political party while totally ignoring the lies and corruption of the other. They look  down with arrogant condescension on anyone who could possibly have a differing political opinion.

Which brings us the to the Times Argus/Rutland Herald situation.  Now I understand that the majority of Vermonters are of a liberal bent. But I wouldn’t think that it would be a wise business practice to constantly be shitting on insulting 40-45% of your potential readership. Add the usual Danziger cartoon depicting conservatives as inbred hicks and well…  after reading about the little revolt and firings  at the Rutland Herald I felt more then a little schadenfreude.

Reade Brower, the owner of the Portland Press Herald and two other newspapers said that they were “committed to community journalism, as well as common sense and prudency”.  I’m all for covering local news events but unless the “elitist” attitude about their “progressive’ ideology is tempered… well, I hope that he has deep pockets.