TA: Jeffrey Allen Miller (Jeffrey Miller)

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Published 1 January 2007

Opinion Columnists to Keep Newspapers Alive

We wish to thank the following
authors for their articles on
Think & Ask:

Gary Baldridge, Atlanta
Mark Blickley, New York
Kristin Caliolo, New York City
Richard Ciccarone, San Francisco
Pierre de Gaillande, Brooklyn
Marion Dreyfus, New York
Phyllis Edgerly, New Hampshire
Larissa Faw, New York City
Charles Forbes, New York City
Barbara Gail Warden, St. Thomas
Aaron Hoffstein, New York City
Amil Imani, New York City
Betsy Gilbert, Mississippi
Jason Gordon, Dallas
Joseph Huff-Hannon, New York
Barbara J. Hunter, Connecticut
Dean Johns, Sydney
Emily Keller, New York City
M.Samantha Kinsley, New York
Allison Lowrey, Philadelphia
Nevin Martell, New York City
Justine Nicholas, Queens, NY
Karl Newkirk, World Politics Forum
David Ortmann, San Francisco
Rohit Paul, Mumbai
David Pye, Montreal
Andrew Rasmussen, Norway
Roger Savitt, New York
David Schwartz, New Jersey
Kathy Simcox, Columbus
Jenka Soderberg, Bethlehem
Anne Stopper, Pennsylvania
David Tamarin, Massachusetts
Rex Wockner, San Diego
Mia Wood, Los Angeles

Written by Think & Ask's Publisher
Jeffrey Allen Miller
jeffrey -at- thinkandask . com

While the print media becomes an increasingly important part of cultures in India and China --countries with much larger populations than the United States-- media in the states continues corporate consolidation. During 2007 expect newspapers to layoff more reporters, expect readers to not only have fewer choices in print, but to read available print less as the Internet continues to replace traditional print news and attract readers' time.

This journalist did not purchase a newspaper from 1996 through 2005, because all of the "necessary news" was online. For one year, in 2005, I subscribed to a new hometown paper called The New York Sun (published Monday through Friday) if for no other reason than in protest of The New York Times. The Sun's subscription rate was 25-cents a day, The New York Times' home delivery rate is $1.25. The one-year experiment was good enough to become familiar with the tone and coverage of The Sun, but I ended the subscription and once again only read online news.

For those who simply care about print news, and not opinion stories, The Sun's approach is smart, concise, comprehensive and news is written for readers with an IQ higher than average for those who subscribe to The New York Post and The Daily News.

Liberals (if one can be labeled such) do not generally support The Sun, because those types only care about editorials. Conservatives haven't supported The Sun in record numbers because the newspaper's opinion stories are not considered conservative enough. The New York Sun does not make subscription totals available, but it is estimated to be about 125,000 per day not including sidewalk sales.

Out west, The Los Angeles Times has a rocky future --at best-- and may close 2007 with new owners. Unlike its New York City rival, The Los Angeles Times covers issues important to southern California extremely well. As a native Angeleno I can browse the online version each day to keep ahead of local news, which is not the case with The New York Times in Manhattan -- one has to hit 1010wins.com for local news.

Who needs more than one newspaper?

If a publication was truly objective, thorough in coverage, and hired professional journalists for skill rather than ethnic name or gender -- the readers would win, however the profession is well past this turning point of attracting new subscribers.

No one (with the exception of retirees perhaps) has time to read a newspaper to the finish. Print in fact offers no breaking news -- audience share hits radio, television, and the Internet for updated stories. Newspapers can build share online, but to keep subscriptions print holds out for one final hope: Success of its columnists.

Readers in the United States have latched on to the idea that newspapers are liberal or conservative and thus the readers' personality is reflected by their print subscription. What would The New York Times be without Maureen Dowd, Bob Herbert, and Paul Krugman? Did readers throw a fit that Judith Miller slanted news in favor of the White House? Why wasn't the late Molly Ivins syndicated in The New York Times? Truth is, the average reader doesn't analyze business model questions.

Readers can access The Times free online, but you must pay to view that newspapers' most important draw -- the in-house columnists.

Newspapers in the states are beholden to syndicated columnists (or their own) for maintaining print following. And yet -- not one columnist in the United States holds a view point that is newer, more refreshing, or innovative than do you...the average reader. Readers will tire of Dowd's weekly tirades as she approaches 60-years-old and there are no replacement candidates on the horizon.

Young readers --we'll call them readers not yet 40 years old-- realize print columnists offer no value, which is why the younger generation does not subscribe to newspapers. Plus, all they need to know is online for free. Instead of reading Dowd, the younger generation reads the opinions of their pals on blogs.

Topics they know you love

Global warming, or climate change, as a news topic will continue to gain attention in 2007 even though it does not qualify as breaking news. The irony is --as important and complex as this topic is to readers in the United States-- not one journalist in the states working for mainstream press is a meteorologist as of 1 January 2007.

This journalist, who is a meteorologist, follows the topic of climate change and rates the media --across the board-- for failing to educate readers on the science of climate. Senior in failure is The New York Times followed by The Associated Press -- two news organizations that should know better.

The perfect analogy for covering climate change can be found by understanding The New York Times' film and theater criticism -- a second popular topic with readers. In the words of Sam Sifton, culture editor of The New York Times, film critics do not need to have written a screenplay or have acted a role in order to understand and criticize film.

Sifton told this reporter, "The fact is, what's required of our critics is knowledge — a deep, wide understanding of the worlds that they cover, and an unquenchable thirst for more information about them: More plays, more films, more art, more music. In this knowledge, I'd put our critics up against virtually all comers, and watch as they acquit themselves with grace and style."

In other words -- anyone can become a film critic at The New York Times...well, almost anyone in theory. Readers should take Sifton's words to question all departmental practices at The Times.

Andrew C. Revkin, who covers climate change for The New York Times, writes with grace and style, but does not have the necessary knowledge of climate to accurately explain change from a global to the macro and micro level. He is a book author (the main requirement for entrée into The Times) and holds a biology degree from Brown University. He claims to be a songwriter and guitarist...he is no weatherman, but is given journalism accolades for coverage on climate change.

Meanwhile, in the United Kingdom, we'll wait and see if Nature Climate Change fills the need of true reporting on climate change in 2007 and beyond by using journalists who specialize in climate. Their launch is reported to be for online audiences only.

Whether or not 2007 becomes the deciding factor for print, it can only be stated that the future audience cares little about Sifton's grace requirement when seeking information...and this trend does not fit with the business model newsprint publications must follow to make profit.

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