“New York Times profit drops 52%” . . . because of bloggers (is what they forgot to write.) Via Daily Pundit.
Actually, its not just bloggers. Papers are not giving people what they want out of simple outrage (“Americans are idiots,” is a common refrain), indignance, tradition, a false sense of superiority, and just plain stubborness (this is what Americans, the idiots, should be reading in order to stay informed, the idiots).
The Washington Post, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the like are elitist and have visceral contempt for “the salt of the earth.” As in normal American. As in the folks who will continue to vote Republicans into the White House for the next 20-years.
The New York Times has seen its profits drop 52% for the same reason Gore didn’t get elected in 2000: they’re both intimidating and boring to most Americans. We can be impressed by intimidating, but we cannot suffer through boredom, especially if it is our civic duty.
I was at a conference recently in which the proper journalists and publisher were indignant because America is no longer doing its civic duty: reading the paper. This is blaming the victim here. The Roman Catholic church tried indignance in response to lower attendence rates. Truth is, you have to provide the consumer with what he wants; outside of New York, Washington, and perhaps Chicago, people don’t want what the Washington Post, the New York Times and the Chicago Tribune are selling, civic duty or not.
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Chris your insite is very facinating into reasoning why ignorance seems to be increasing in the American Public. Its an intriguing idea that there is an ever decreasing role for serious “Real News” in America.
However your proof was unsubstanciated. The New York Time Co. did experience a profit decrease. It was in fact due to a one time payout for a series of layoff earlier this year; 200 employees. However Revenue was up 4% across all the companies assets including About.com.
It seems that even an intuitive and inteligent blogger such as yourself is susceptible to the permeating laziness of his fellow countryment.