Nov

13

If the local paper dies - who cares?

November 13, 2007 |

Reading the NYTimes this morning, I came across an op-ed piece by the FCC chairman, Kevin J. Martin. The article mainly argues for the relaxation of some ownership laws. Should a newspaper company be allowed to own a TV station in the same market?

It seems like a strange question to me to begin with. Our media landscape is already a mono-culture. What does it matter. They report the same news anyway.

But here is the part that really stood out for me:

Without newspapers, we would be less informed about our communities and have fewer outlets for the expression of independent thinking and a diversity of viewpoints. The challenge is to restore the viability of newspapers while preserving the core values of a diversity of voices and a commitment to localism in the media marketplace.

Now that’s an old-school attitude. I never thought of the newspaper as an expression of independent thinking and a diversity of viewpoints. That’s what the web is for. It does it far better than any newspaper ever could.

What independent thinking is he talking about anyway? The canned AP and Reuters articles that make up 90% of the local newspaper content? The syndicated op-ed pieces by Ann Coulter?

There are some good newspapers out there that are worth reading. Newspapers that do independent and investigative reporting. Problem is - most don’t and I won’t shed a tear for them.


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