'Important Media People' Have Breakfast

This morning, Doree roused herself at an ungodly hour to attend a panel discussion called "Do Newspapers Have a Future?" at the W Hotel in Midtown, with the New Yorker's Ken Auletta lobbing questions at Times Washington bureau chief Dean Baquet and McClatchy CEO Gary Pruitt.

The W opened in 1998, and the hotel feels frozen in a late-'90s time capsule of blond wood and blandly pulsating music. Kind of like the newspaper industry!

There are lots of PR people from the New Yorker here.

Oh, S.I. Newhouse!

And David Remnick.

And Conde Nast chief communications officer Maurie Perl. Dogs are discussed. Hers, a Scottie, came with the danger of rectal tumor.

The Observer's Michael Calderone needs rescuing from the other side of the room. He is invited to the kids' table with Portfolio's Gabe Sherman. ICM's Sloan Harris asks Gabe when Portfolio is launching.

Gary Pruitt and Dean Baquet keep talking about how more people than ever are reading newspapers, if you count online readers. No one really seems to have any great ideas about how to make money off them, however.

Dean Baquet makes sure to mention the Times-Picayune not by name, but as a Newhouse paper.

Ken Auletta calls Gary Jeff by mistake, and says it's because he's looking at fired LAT publisher Jeff Johnson, who is now working for Ron Burkle, who might be buying the LAT.

Gary/Jeff gives a newspaper history lesson.

They discuss young people. They seem strangely optimistic about them. The kids table feels awkward.

Ken Auletta gently reminds Dean Baquet that he tried to make the LAT into a national newspaper, and failed.

Gary Pruitt utters the phrase, "speaking truth to power." Then he says something about giving a voice to the voiceless. And finally: "Good journalism is good business."

They discuss why McClatchy sold off the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.

Jeff Jarvis asks the panel why they are optimistic about journalism, and takes the opportunity to inform the audience why he is optimistic about journalism.

Victor Navasky asks a Marxist question.

Dean Baquet says that Op-Ed pages are basically fucked.

Does anyone else find it odd that a roomful of journalists are applauding for Jeff Johnson, who just a year ago was considered an evil Tribune hatchet man? Anyone? Oh, well, everyone changes. OR DO THEY.

Lloyd Grove asks a question, and identifies himself as "Lloyd Grove, freelancer."

Contact information for this author is not available.

Loading comments ... $-/|\$

Start a new discussion

Gawker

Which of These 6 Perversely Fascinating YouTube Memes Speaks to the Darkness of Your Soul? #personalityquiz #videuhoh

The Jay Leno Show: 2009-2010 #andnowitsdead #latenightwars

Cut Out Our Hearts with Your Valentine's Day Horror Stories #valentinesdayofhor #valentinesday

This Goldman House: Bonus Season Means It's Time to Add a New Floor to Your Townhouse #goldmanproject #goldmansachs

The Lonely Faces of Five Minutes on Chat Roulette #gallery #chatroulette

The Stripper Party Pics the Google Elite Didn't Want You to See #geeksgonewild #orkutbuyukkokten

How to Destroy a Perfectly Good Fake Trend Story #trendwatch #journalismism

Gawker

GAWKER TEAM

'Important Media People' Have Breakfast

Gawker

GAWKER TEAM

SUBSCRIBE TO GAWKER

Login

Reset Password

Register

Submit Your Comment

Send An Invitation

Send a link