On May 24, 2009, at 12:30 AM, Jeff Wright wrote:
http://www.tnr.com/story_print.html?id=7cc5324e-0fbc-4316-a656- d49e77e3a5a4
Kinsley's TNR op ed validates his getting canned by Time. Lots of vitriol and almost no useful insights. Just crazy stuff -- like "US News is said to exist still in some form, but no one I know has seen it lately" is bizarre. The facile reply is that it is on the news stand shelf right next to Newsweek and Time. After somebody starts off like that should I pay attention to the rest of his raving?
On the other hand Meacham editor's letter is not much better. It starts off with "It is no secret that the business of journalism is in trouble." That is a dangerously false premise. It would have been better and wiser to write "It is no secret that the business of journalism is changing." It is changing and participants will need to adapt. Is that tragic? The failure of these businesses to adapt is the tragic part. Their management lacks strategic vision.
Fortunately Meacham's staff does better than he does. I picked up his revamped Newsweek and found it about as good as it was before. It gave me insights and information that I had not gotten from the media I usually listen to. Maybe I should give up watching the nightly news and spend that half hour with Newsweek? But it is easier and more restful to just sit in front of the boob tube.
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