the real problem isn’t the impending death of newspapers, but the impending death of news
This analysis of the decline of newspapers (Salon) argues that losing access to newspapers offers more of a problem than the lose of the familiar format in which we get our news. The problem is that the likely repacement will offer some important limitations. Gone will be
reporting by trained journalists who know the subject, have developed sources on all sides, strive for objectivity and are working with editors who check their facts, steer them in the right direction and are a further check against unwarranted assumptions, sloppy thinking and reporting, and conscious or unconscious bias.
The problems of quality content in combination with the things we are likely to focus on if left to pursue our own interests are argued to result in a less informed public.
The post asks an intriguing question – should the “news” be subsidized (for our own good).
This is an interest post – a combination of Cult of the Amateur and the unique advantage of discovery as distinct from search.
BTW – MIT World offers a recent discussion of the Future of the News.