Posted on 04/21/2020 9:06:47 AM PDT by Bruiser 10
As journalists across the US scramble to cover the impact of the coronavirus, they are grappling with a bitter irony: as demand for their stories soars, the decline of the business model that funds them is speeding up catastrophically.
The devastating sweep of Covid-19 is the biggest story in a generation, and for most newspapers and news sites it has triggered record numbers of readers. Yet the virus, industry experts warn, will spell the end for “hundreds” of those organizations, laying off journalists and closing titles. Coronavirus: the week explained - sign up for our email newsletter Read more
Media outlets across the US have already responded to a huge drop in advertising triggered by the economic shutdown by sacking scores of employees. Some newspapers, just as demand is at its highest, have stopped printing – reverting to a digital-only operation that is just as vulnerable to the whims of advertisers.
The decrease in advertising was swift, as businesses tightened spending due to the economic impact of Covid-19. For a journalism industry already barely scraping by, the impact was almost immediate.
(Excerpt) Read more at theguardian.com ...
I have a friend who is an executive for a major newspaper. He readily admits that print news is terminally ill and has been for some time. But there will be more people who will suffer than journalists and editorialists. The print industry employs not just journalists but a lot of non journalist support employees necessary to print, distribute, etc. a newpaper. These employees have families who depend on them for a living. My friend says that his job now is to try to bring the “plane “ to a somewhat smooth landing rather than a crash landing. Life and it’s issues are almost always deeper than what appears on the surface.
Lies Inc. takes a beating becomes public service.
Now that toilet paper is becoming available again, newspapers are even more pointless.
My son is a supervisor in the production department for our local paper. Warren Buffet had purchased Lee Enterprises last year I think and then just recently sold out of it. I think he thought it was also a sinking ship. Anyway, Lee is now making the production employees take at least 10 days furlough this spring. My son has been applying for other jobs too as his hours keep getting cut back more and more as circulation withers.
Good. No bailouts please.
Hahaha...demand for fake news
Not sure myself. I think they are collections of print with anti-Trump pro-socialist anti-freedom pro-totalitarian propaganda screeds.
I know.
Who's going to report the news when they're gone?
So which popular, objective news organizations are doing well?
I may be naive, but I believe there will be some market for fair and balanced news reporting and analysis. So I don’t think the media will disappear completely. But they will downsize from where they are now.
Maybe certain cable news channels will go away. Definitely some newspapers will go under or just be online in the future.
Every time I see that girl now, I wonder if she’s just devoured a bat.
How ‘bout dat?
That's certainly the trend but I don't think it's a good one.
I think it's important for someone to be watching and reporting on what government, at every level, is doing. Otherwise those in power get to write the narrative.
I think local news organizations are very important and the fact is there are probably as many conservative-leaning editorial boards around small town America as liberal.
Most local media isn't particularly ideological at all.
“Guess we can all hang out here and read each other’s vanities.”
Works for me. I generally skim the articles and move on to the comments. There is much more value in the comment section.
BTW, has anyone else noticed that the comment sections for lots of the smaller online news sites have been disappearing?
Sure, but for the most part those comments are opinions about events. Events we wouldn't know about if not for the news media.
Yes, I’ve noticed the comments have gone away on many news sites. I’ve wondered if too many politically incorrect comments were being posted by readers, and the liberals who run these news organizations can’t abide such critical masses of contrasting opinions.
I think the problem is they devolve into troll driven food fights if not moderated, and most sites don't want to invest in the moderation.
The hard core on every side use the comments for their own purposes but most news consumers don't want to deal with the mess.
Meant to copy you on 59.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.