As a former newspaper editor in Asheville and Wilmington I say with some experience:
We must not forget how the changes in the news media -- how many folks read a daily newspaper anymore -- have choked out the truth from our society. The Fourth Estate should mean something important to a democracy. The …
As a former newspaper editor in Asheville and Wilmington I say with some experience:
We must not forget how the changes in the news media -- how many folks read a daily newspaper anymore -- have choked out the truth from our society. The Fourth Estate should mean something important to a democracy. The daily focus on issues once served to educate people about what could unite us. How do we create something new at local, state and national levels that serves that end?
As another former newspaper journalist, I see the practical salvation for newspapers is to go all-digital with the public broadcasting model for funding. When I worked for a newspaper 50 years ago, 80% of revenue came from advertising and 20% from subscriptions. It's hard to see how papers today can sustain themselves when they're so dependent on digital subscriptions. Make it free for readers and solicit donations the way NPR and PBS do.
Another excellent commentary Thomas.
As a former newspaper editor in Asheville and Wilmington I say with some experience:
We must not forget how the changes in the news media -- how many folks read a daily newspaper anymore -- have choked out the truth from our society. The Fourth Estate should mean something important to a democracy. The daily focus on issues once served to educate people about what could unite us. How do we create something new at local, state and national levels that serves that end?
As another former newspaper journalist, I see the practical salvation for newspapers is to go all-digital with the public broadcasting model for funding. When I worked for a newspaper 50 years ago, 80% of revenue came from advertising and 20% from subscriptions. It's hard to see how papers today can sustain themselves when they're so dependent on digital subscriptions. Make it free for readers and solicit donations the way NPR and PBS do.