Wednesday, February 25, 2009

MOURN THE CHRON

This is the year daily newspapering descends into a coma. This week the Philadelphia Inquirer went bankrupt. Now, word of two significant dailies possibly going nips-up. As Reuters reports:
San Francisco may lose its main newspaper, the San Francisco Chronicle, as owner Hearst Corp cuts a "significant" number of jobs and decides whether to shut or sell the money-losing daily. The privately held New York-based publisher already is considering shutting a second West Coast paper, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, in the face of a devastating decline in advertising revenue and big losses.
Wingnuts on both fringes will cheer the decline of American newspapering. They will realize, too late, that killing the tree means no fruit for anyone.

19 comments:

Chain Gang BBQ said...

I don't think it's so much the newspaper as it is journalism; it is no longer being practiced as it once was.

The line has been blurred by commentators parading as journalists. Last night for example, MSNBC's Chris Matthews was heard muttering "Oh God" just seconds before LA Governor Jindal delivered the Republican response to Obama's speech.

Apparently these newspapers are seeing significant declines in advertising revenues. Why? Sure, maybe some because ads have skyrocketed in price vs return on ad dollars invested. But also possible is retailers don't like the direction these papers have taken and have decided to pull those dollars and put them elsewhere.

Food for thought.

Anonymous said...

Thank God and John Wayne that nobody at Fox News has sunk to the sort of low that Am Pat recognizes at MSNBC. Good thing we can count on at least one network to give us the straight poop. Or maybe it's just poop...so hard to tell anymore...

Chain Gang BBQ said...

OK, smart guy, tell me this then. Why aren't the mainstream media such as newspapers, TV, you're trusted MSNBC, talking about the high spike in abuse of detainees at Guantanamo since Obama took office?

Reuters quotes Ahmed Ghappour, a human rights attorney that says since Obama has taken office, detainees, some of whom are his clients, have seen an increase in beatings, the dislocation of limbs, spraying of pepper spray into closed cells, overfeeding, and other abuses.

If Bush were still in office this would get splattered all over the media. Since it's one of their own, President Hussein gets a pass from the "media."

Anonymous said...

Perhaps it has something to do with Bush/Cheney loyalists (like yourself) who work at Gitmo extracting a few last days of abuse on the detainees before they AND the detainees are sent elsewhere.

Anonymous said...

Anyone else notice the irony of using the problems of newspapers to complain about MSNBC?

Let's keep to the topic, if that's possible.

Michelle said...

Happy (belated) Birthday Ron... you and Jim share the same day!

Chain Gang BBQ said...

Anon 4:46, I believe I used newspapers and MSNBC as part of the mainstream media. If MSNBC is not mainstream media, then fine. But still neither one of you addressed why it isn't being covered.

And Anon 4:09, I'm no Bush/Cheney loyalist. I'm a conservative Republican; neither of these two were anything close to that.

Anonymous said...

Suggestion for AmPat:

Move to Kansas. A wind farm like yourself could qualify for some huge tax breaks.

Chain Gang BBQ said...

Anon 12:38. No thanks; never cared much for Kansas. But with the internet, no matter where I moved, I could still play with your little pinhead.

FYI, though, The Rocky Mountain News will publish it's last tomorrow. Two months shy of being 150 years old.

Anonymous said...

Please, American Patriot, at least use proper grammar in your diatribes.

You're means you are or you were; your is the proper pronoun.

It's means it is; its is the proper pronoun.

Jeez. Even my nine-year-old knows that. Or as you would write it, no's that.

chuckmo said...

please see: Internet Troll

Chain Gang BBQ said...

Anon 3:24, I am so sorry to have offended you by violating a proper pronoun. I assure you, I had no intention of damaging you, the proper pronoun or your 9 year old.

I know what "It's" means.

Do you know what blow me means?

Anonymous said...

Yes, that's exactly the kind of wonderful logic I expect from American Patriot. Lovely.

Chain Gang BBQ said...

Logic for logic. Now that we know we are both logical, could you finally answer my question. Lovely.

Anonymous said...

To Am Pat:
Your'e anything but. Taking ques from Fox. I wish Billo would tell you to jump off a cliff. cause I know you would. And so would all those who behave like you.That would be a cleansing thing.

Anonymous said...

Apparently, American Patriot's gay. Not that there's anything wrong with that. But he wants me to blow him. I'm not gay, so I decline his offer.

Chain Gang BBQ said...

No, Anon 4:50, I'm not gay. Anymore than Anon 6:42 is logical. See, when you're a Liberal, logic has nothing to do with anything; it's all feelings.

Why should I jump off a cliff, Anon, when Obama is driving us in that direction anyway?

Anon 4:50, you have my permission and blessing to blow Anon 6:42. After all, it's your side that embraces that rainbow of human debris.

Anonymous said...

'Human debris'. Wow. I was just following this little conversation and both points of view...and then, 'Boom!' you throw stuff like that out and just ruined it for yourself. Don't bother hating back on me. I don't have the time to come back to this thread to see if you respond. You're just too funny. Sad, sad little person.

Chain Gang BBQ said...

Sorry Anon 9:27, I don't believe in being politically correct.

I was a "sad, sad little person" Saturday night when AMC celebrated the 35th anniversary of Blazing Saddles. The film had been politically corrected by audio editors and wasn't funny at all.

That's what politically correct gets you. Oh hum.