"The meta-philosophy of free — we should get rid of this philosophy," said Christoph Keese, Springer’s head of public affairs and an architect of its online strategy. "A highly industrialized world cannot survive on rumors. It needs quality journalism, and that costs money."
This is a quote from a Bild spokesman, a newspaper that has famously low editorial standards. I don't get his appeal to the public interest here. These people have made a business of publishing irresponsible rumors that appeal to populist sentiment.
There are German newspapers that are actually doing poorly. These are mainly the broadsheets with high standards. Bild is not having any major financial issues like the broadsheets are having. It's true that its circulation is decreasing, sure, but for a newspaper that has consistently chosen the profit motive as a guiding principle over quality journalism in the public's interest, it's obviously disingenuous of them to justify their price increase as a way to provide better journalism.
The motivation is so clear here: squeeze as much money out of their readers before the great unwashed migrate away from Bild to equally poor-quality blogs.
@i'm a bottle: I worked for a short period at Axel Springer. From what I saw, that company has a way of putting douchebags in charge and repressing people who actually have good ideas — even at the online division! But isn't this what the print media business does nowadays, anyway?
@freakshowtime: The douchebaggery doesn't surprise me at all.
Also, those douches aren't doing their job. Most of the Bild properties haven't changed their format in years and their online presence is especially a mess.
They can't expect to just keep doing what they've been doing since the eighties yet hope to preserve or increase their circulation numbers. The major problem I see is that the Bild concept is graphics heavy but commentary light -- a format that's easily supplanted by anybody with an Internet connection and a Wordpress account.
Shiite, I subscribed just YESTERDAY to NatGeo Adventure as a Christmas present for my nephew. Now I have to get online and find something else just as cheap.
12/07/09
12/07/09
12/07/09
12/07/09
This is a quote from a Bild spokesman, a newspaper that has famously low editorial standards. I don't get his appeal to the public interest here. These people have made a business of publishing irresponsible rumors that appeal to populist sentiment.
There are German newspapers that are actually doing poorly. These are mainly the broadsheets with high standards. Bild is not having any major financial issues like the broadsheets are having. It's true that its circulation is decreasing, sure, but for a newspaper that has consistently chosen the profit motive as a guiding principle over quality journalism in the public's interest, it's obviously disingenuous of them to justify their price increase as a way to provide better journalism.
The motivation is so clear here: squeeze as much money out of their readers before the great unwashed migrate away from Bild to equally poor-quality blogs.
12/07/09
12/07/09
Also, those douches aren't doing their job. Most of the Bild properties haven't changed their format in years and their online presence is especially a mess.
They can't expect to just keep doing what they've been doing since the eighties yet hope to preserve or increase their circulation numbers. The major problem I see is that the Bild concept is graphics heavy but commentary light -- a format that's easily supplanted by anybody with an Internet connection and a Wordpress account.
12/04/09
12/04/09
12/04/09
12/04/09
12/04/09
It would at least cover the offending member, wouldn't it?
12/04/09
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12/03/09
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12/03/09
PS) We still get the main mag and the Kids, so don't blame me if other units are having problems.
12/03/09
Are the powers at Belo out of their minds?