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Reporter Doesn't Want His Super-Secret Interview Technique Outed
The Future of Journalism's in a Politician's Pet Newsroom
How Newspapers Are Wording Their Own Obituaries
More Online Talent Departs the L.A. Times
New California Wildfires Sparked By Weed Farm Fire
Disney Finally Kicks 'The Bens' to the Curb For Sucking
LA Times Already Planning to Sell Out Again
Is the Los Angeles Times Cribbing from Wikipedia?
Foursquare Founder Tells Two Tales About Filched Dodgeball Code
New 'LAT' Cuts Will Slash 300 Jobs

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MrInBetween
11/13/09

In reply to Reporter Doesn't Want His Super-Secret Interview Technique Outed
When public officials feared people who bought ink by the barrel, this kind of journalistic hubris/hypocrisy might anger people. But now, Skelton's complaint sounds like the final, weak yelp of the last dinosaur. #journalismism
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Magister
11/13/09

In reply to Reporter Doesn't Want His Super-Secret Interview Technique Outed
Good point about the hypocrisy, but his complaint really doesn't have a lot of merit, anyway.

It appears that this records release was a one time event; The spokesperson no longer works for Mr Brown. There will be no future recordings created.

So, how long does Mr. Skelton sit on information or contemplate a response's meaning?
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Edited by Magister at 11/13/09 2:06 PM Magister was starred Magister was unstarred

If_I_Had_a_Poodle
11/10/09

In reply to The Future of Journalism's in a Politician's Pet Newsroom
The past 100 years or so of more or less objective news might be an anomaly #journalismism
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TheBusinessGuy
11/10/09

In reply to The Future of Journalism's in a Politician's Pet Newsroom
Ah, the journalist's dilemma: should I whore for a coporate pimp or a political pimp? Which would Izzy Stone choose? #journalismism
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Forgetitjake
11/10/09

@TheBusinessGuy:
I think the NKVD would have to count as political rather than corporate. #journalismism
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harlows.landing
10/27/09

In reply to How Newspapers Are Wording Their Own Obituaries
Although newspapers are "theoretically" affordable, they've gone from ubiquity to being a badge of luxury for oldsters and disposably-incomed literates.

It would be interesting to see some detailed demographics on all of that lost circulation. Just how many subscriptions have vanished due to otherwise-loyal readers moving to nursing homes, Boca Raton, or their local cemeteries? #printisdead
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If_I_Had_a_Poodle
10/27/09

@harlows.landing: The losses are at both ends: The olds are dying, and the youngs aren't replacing them.

Cigarettes in the US are having a similar issue; not so much internationally. #printisdead
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Cynical Media Bitch
10/27/09

In reply to How Newspapers Are Wording Their Own Obituaries
By itself, a drop in circulation numbers means bupkes. That's because in a recession/depression, you expect people to cut back on things like newspaper subscriptions, and that's doubly true today, since the news and the job listings are available online, for free.

I'd be more interested to look at figures for circ vs. press run, because if that margin has tightened up, that could actually be a good thing for the business. But if a paper is still printing copies and delivering them to customers that are no longer paying (as I noted yesterday), then a lot of people are just kidding themselves.

For years, the business model had subscribers merely covering the cost of printing and delivering the paper; most of the overhead was borne by advertisers, and single-copy sales contributed little, if anything. That has to change if newspapers are going to survive, but I don't see how that will happen, with possible exceptions to be found in the largest nationals (WSJ, NYT) and the most intensely local papers (eg. the Newport experiment). #printisdead
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BowlingForDollars
10/27/09

In reply to How Newspapers Are Wording Their Own Obituaries
I love a newspaper because it's portable. It needs no batteries and you can take it anywhere.

I think where newspapers have failed is to reach out to the next generation of newspaper readers. They have had an arrogant attitude of always "being an institution" and never marketed to younger readers. So those younger readers never came on board and their older readers are dying off.

I don't know if that can be reversed at all, but I'd like to think that newspapers will still be around. It's going to suck to have to wade through my laptop for news every morning at the breakfast table. #printisdead
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lalie (apologetic mess)
10/27/09

@BowlingForDollars: And as a 22-year-old off-and-on newspaper reader, I can tell you they are still catering to the old guard. Most of the articles, both news and interest pieces, are written to a baby boomer audience. That's not content that's going to make me buy your paper instead of checking the main headlines on Reuters.

The arrogance also plays into their reluctance to adapt to the effects of new media. The 'news' parts are, by their very nature, going to be 'old news' by the time papers go to print. So why are they - I'm looking at you, Chicago Tribune - phasing out things like the Books section? That should be played up as unique content and used to gain more readers, since the news stories aren't necessarily going to do that anymore. #printisdead
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If_I_Had_a_Poodle
10/27/09

@lalie (apologetic mess): Dumbing down is a death spiral. #printisdead
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If_I_Had_a_Poodle
10/27/09

@lalie (apologetic mess): Dumbing down is a death spiral that doesn't end well. #printisdead
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BettyCrocker
10/27/09

In reply to How Newspapers Are Wording Their Own Obituaries
Not so fast. (I hope.)

Not everyone can afford a Klunky Kindle. Those who can can't always download morning news in the mornings.

There are grocery coupons online, but they're a pain in the ass. The Style section looks boring online, and it's meant to be read in your underwear in a dimly lit room on a Sunday morning, on a sofa with a cat and a big mug of coffee within easy reach. Try all that in a desk chair.

Papers are tactile and don't flash the news in your face without giving you a chance to think about it. (Oh, wait.)

Poor or older people can afford to inform themselves with the paper - it's free in any library. Where are they supposed to get their news? Fox? (Oh, wait.)

Newsday, for all of its suckitude, does have a good local events section. The Times does too.

Not sure how any of this can actually be replaced, and I'm guessing there will be some demand for some time. #printisdead
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If_I_Had_a_Poodle
10/27/09

In reply to How Newspapers Are Wording Their Own Obituaries
"It's completely understandable. It's just sad to see great papers and great reporters scurrying to cover disastrous news with soothing reportorial language and knowing juxtaposition of sentences. I'd almost prefer 'Holy Crap We're Fucked! Help Us! Buy This Paper!' to be splashed across each front page."

This is part of why they're failing. Nobody believes or relates to that voice anymore -- the one you used to hear on 1010 WINS over the sound of the teletype, the one you used to hear on TV news, the one you used to hear in your head when you turned the newsprint smelling pages on the subway #printisdead
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notsofresh
10/27/09

@If_I_Had_a_Poodle: This is a really good point, about the "old" voice vs. just the "old" physical medium. When I read the headlines in my local paper, I have exactly the same feeling I used to get when my grandparents would ask me to go to the icebox and get them the Oleo. #printisdead
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If_I_Had_a_Poodle
10/27/09

@notsofresh: Don't forget to close the light when you shut the kitchen door, hon.

Old media have lost the credibility that was the underpinning of that Voice of God diction; the times, they have changed. #printisdead
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scroll_lock
10/27/09

In reply to How Newspapers Are Wording Their Own Obituaries
I knew things were shaky but I didn't think they had burn victims running the presses. #printisdead
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blix
10/27/09

@scroll_lock: No silly, they simply outsourced their print operations to the Isle of Molokai. #printisdead
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scroll_lock
10/27/09

@blix: I just got back from a great concert there by Def Leper. #printisdead
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blix
10/27/09

@scroll_lock: You were there too? I went backstage to give them a hand. #printisdead
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scroll_lock
10/27/09

@blix: You've really got to hand it to him- best one-armed drummer in the bizniz. #printisdead
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blix
10/27/09

@scroll_lock: Ack! First Brimley with the feet and now this. I wasn't going there in either case but I did tell the Mokokai hooker to keep the tip. #printisdead
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scroll_lock
10/27/09

@blix: No wonder you're so blunt. #printisdead
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garbanzo314
09/05/09

In reply to More Online Talent Departs the L.A. Times
When did LAT become a viable competitor of CNN, which is 10x its traffic? Amusing that Stanton inserted this subliminal auto-back-pat.
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Uncle_Billy_Slumming
09/04/09

In reply to More Online Talent Departs the L.A. Times
Universal praise my assfoot. Blech.
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shostakobitch
09/04/09

@Uncle_Billy_Slumming: yeah i feel like i'm reading the fucking place mat at ihop. like they're proud of their newly found total lack of stories. i wish i had just saved papers from 10 years ago on days i didn't read it. la times was the shit back then.
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gawkimo
08/17/09

In reply to New California Wildfires Sparked By Weed Farm Fire
That's why I smoke the Indo.
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SpyMagician
08/17/09

In reply to New California Wildfires Sparked By Weed Farm Fire
This will totally ruin pot and Mexican food for a bunch of Californians for the next few months.
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iplaudius
08/17/09

@SpyMagician: In so far as the two are frequently related, and given the effects of pot on the short-term memory, I expect the weed and burrito commodities markets to remain largely unaffected.
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Dominant Glee Club
08/06/09

In reply to Disney Finally Kicks 'The Bens' to the Curb For Sucking
Now that Ben Lyons has been muzzled, clearly it needs to become the Stop Roland Emmerich blog.
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