Posted by David Kopel: Web, not bias, offing papers: http://volokh.com/archives/archive_2008_12_07-2008_12_13.shtml#1229156134
So I argue in [1]my column for today's Rocky Mountain News. I don't deny that there's a problem with bias in most of the MSM, nor that the bias has driven away some readers. But I reject the idea that bias is the most important factor in the mortal peril now facing so many American newspapers. As I see it, the problem has far more to do with the loss of classified advertising revenue, and with declining interest in reading. It would be nice, in a way, if the newspapers' financial problems could be traced to ideological issues, but I think that other factors are much more significant. The topic is particular interest to me these days, since on December 4, Scripps announced that the Rocky Mountain News--the paper for which I currently write, and for which my father worked full-time in the 1950s--is being put up for sale. If a buyer is not found within 4-6 weeks, Scripps will probably close the paper. Michael Roberts, the media columnist for the Denver weekly Westword, has an excellent, in-depth [2]analysis of the situation. References 1. http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/dec/13/kopel-web-not-bias-offing-papers/ 2. http://www.westword.com/2008-12-11/news/the-rocky-mountain-news-is-going-down/ _______________________________________________ Volokh mailing list [email protected] http://lists.powerblogs.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/volokh
