Anyone thinking the declines in circulation should ease when the Audit Bureau of Circulations releases its spring numbers on Monday will be disillusioned.
According to industry sources, overall daily circulation for the six month ending March 2007 is expected to sink approximately 2.5% while Sunday is forecasted to drop around 3.0%.
Just in case there is some doubt, I will say that I do think those decisions are one of the reasons for the decline. If journalists see their job as transmitting Democratic talking points, they will offend every reader who is not a partisan Democrat, and those Democrats who prefer to get news from news organizations.
Let me suggest this exercise for Mr. Postman, and for any journalist who wants to gain credibility with moderates and conservatives, any journalist who does not want to be simply a channel for Democratic talking points. Take another look at how your news organization covered the Plame "scandal", beginning with David Broder's column and working backwards. Broder said, after it became clear to nearly everyone that there was no scandal (other than Joseph Wilson's carelessness with the truth), that many journalists should apologize for the way they covered the story (a few did apologize) and that journalists should: "Can the conspiracy theories and stick to the facts." Good advice, and I'll just add that journalists should show at least as much skepticism toward Democratic talking points as they do toward Republican talking points.
(Here's a earlier post on the same subject.)
Posted by Jim Miller at April 25, 2007 01:40 PM | Email ThisI was shocked the other day to see my third grader pull out a newspaper and start reading the front page. So, go figure that one. She then went to comics, which is still good.
Jim, I don't know what can improve circulation. In the old days there were muckruckers but they seem to be the bloggers these days. Very seldom do the writers have the time (or gumption) to take on the people in power. The people in power are allowed to feed them the talking points.
So, all the newspapers get is the talking points of whatever party is in power.
About a month ago, I sent an e-mail to one of the local writers who wrote a balanced article regarding a boondoggle the local city was spending money on. I asked him about this and this and this, etc..
He wrote back that he felt better that at least someone was asking the right questions about the boondoggles. I took that to mean he meant "no one cared" so if they can't generate discussion, why bother.
As I followed the letters to the editor and discussions within the business community in my small town, he was right. No one cares.
Right now, the city council candidates are just good people without any creds to be on the council. Again, no one cares.
What will it take to get people's attention?
Posted by: swatter on April 25, 2007 02:12 PMThere is never a challenge to the bloc thinking or bloc structure. Everything is a happy go lucky world where real estate stays high forever in Seattle, and Mayor Nickols is everyone's buddy.
Posted by: John Bailo on April 25, 2007 02:20 PMJust a post to let everyone know that the State Supreme Court is going to issue decisions in a number of cases of interest tomorrow, including:
1. Whether radio talk show hosts have to report their support of initiatives as a campaign contribution;
2. Whether a shopping mall landlord (I think) has to let demonstrators with signs onto the public easement on its property;
3. Whether a business can set out as a separate charge, and collect from a consumer-purchaser, the B & O taxes the state will charge the business in connection with a proposed sales transaction.
There are also a couple of criminal cases being decided.
I predict more of the poorly-reasoned opinions for which this Court is becoming notorious.
When the opinions come out tomorrow morning at about 9 a.m., you can read them here:
http://www.courts.wa.gov/opinions/index.cfm?fa=opinions.recent
Posted by: Matt from Olympia on April 25, 2007 04:53 PMYou see, the Society of Professional Journalist Code of Ethics is well thought-out, very noble, achievable...something to strive for.
Unfortunately, I am not familiar with any Seattle Journalists who measure up...David included.
When Journalists fail to measure up....people cancel the paper.
What I am saying is most wannabe Journalists allow their allegiances & beliefs to get in the way of both what they report AND just as important, what they choose to ignore & not report on.
Today's Journalists have become a joke.
When I want Comedy, I watch Blue Collar TV!
If you want to have some fun, send wannabe Journalists the Code of Ethics....and be sure to highlight those many areas you find them deficient in.
Can you imagine this huge group of Left-leaners dreaming up this outstanding code of Ethics...and then being so arrogant as to not realize how woefully short they fall of their own standard???
This is why Newspapers have failed.
Posted by: Mr. Cynical on April 25, 2007 05:31 PM