Posted on 04/17/2009 7:51:17 PM PDT by ReformationFan
The recent announcement by the New York Times that it might close down the venerable Boston Globe, unless the paper can cut costs and begin to make money, came as a shock to many Bostonians. The Times bought the Globe in 1993 for $1.1 billion because it assumed that in an area with Harvard, MIT, Tufts, Boston University, Boston College and other schools of higher learning, they would have lots of readers and make lots of money. But this much-touted Athens of America, which prides itself on its intellectual history, has become, like the rest of America, a victim of our general literacy decline.
The problem is now so severe that the National Endowment for the Arts issued an alarming report, "Reading at Risk," in November 2007, revealing the precipitous decline of literacy in America. According to the report, the number of 17-year-olds who never read for pleasure increased from 9 percent in 1984 to 19 percent in 2004. About half of Americans between the ages of 18 and 24 never read books for pleasure.
Endowment Chairman Dana Gioia stated: "This is a massive social problem. We are losing the majority of the new generation. They will not achieve anything close to their potential because of poor reading." The survey found that only a third of high school seniors read at a proficient level. "And proficiency is not a high standard," said Gioia. "We're not asking them to be able to read Proust in the original. We're talking about reading the daily newspaper."
(Excerpt) Read more at wnd.com ...
For conservatives, this isn’t just any divorce from the newspapers. It’s a loathing, knockdown one. I hate them.
A thread about newspaper death...
Very interesting idea !!
Since the tax would be for newspapers, why not call it a “CRAP AND TRADE “ ??
For one the newspapers have made a decision to cater to the ubberleft. They basically have said we don’t care about conservtives buying our newspaper. Secondly, from talking and working with leftist most of them are just dingbats. They rarely read a newspaper unless its to catch up on celbrity news. The liberal elites might be reading these newspapers but thats about it. So they cater to a small group and hope to atract mainstream advertising bucks and those advertisers realize they can go elsewhere for their money.
Growing up in Memphis, I remember the morning paper, waiting on the doorstep by 7 AM, an afternoon edition, thrown by neighborhood kids, and a final edition, brought home by my father after work.
Of course, in those days, even the milk and laundry were
delivered daily, and the popsicle guy made daily rounds.
If needed, we even had home delivery of groceries.
At least I am not quite old enough to remember the ice man ;)
While we like to blame it on the pro Demowit left wing Marxist trash that they print, I doubt that anything can
save the papers.
Internet , broadcast, and cable has taken over news distribution.
I know there is a niche market for those of us that
like to browse the paper over morning coffee, but I do not
think it is enough to support the infrastructure required for a newspaper.
YEP....and have any of you ever seen the pile of your local newspapers dropped at the doors of schools every day? Even junior high level.....that must be why they fear a reading problem.....they are ONLY READING the TRASH MSM at school!
Better dead than red!
“like the rest of America, a victim of our general literacy decline.”
IMHO all they need to do is apply some novel concepts such as tell the truth and apply conservative fiscal business techniques.
Exactly. The public library is a good source of knowledge for kids and adults to enjoy.
I know the liberal MSM has brought this on themselves - but I still feel breakfast is coffee and a newspaper...
Or, it could be craigslist.
Crazy that they think if they make some token effort that all will be forgiven. Putting a bandaid on a gangrenous wound doesn't make it smell any sweeter.
Then why is the internet flourishing? Even with YouTube and the rest, it's still mainly a written medium.
People are abandoning newspapers not because they can't read, but because the new media now offer better choices. Who needs to pore over apartment listings in the classifieds when you can search online instantly? Why would you go blind looking up stock quotes in the financial pages when you can get a whole lot more information instantly with Google?
Arguably the news gathering talent the newspapers have assembled over time is a valuable asset. But they are going to have find new business models to support it.
I remember the days (not so long ago) when I'd get out early to pick up a copy of the newspaper to figure out my fantasy football results. Now I get realtime updates on the internet without any effort.
Its the same with any information needs now. Newspapers are old news. Twelve hour old news in the newspaper isn't much better than week-old news. Its all stuff I already read on the internet.
because they print lies and trash no one believes?
We have family who just canceled their subscription to their city newspaper after 50 YEARS. The sales person was flabbergasted that they canceled, and tried every trick in the book to keep their business. My relative explained over and over that they no longer wish to pay to read obvious bias. The circulation person had no response to that.
Actually, Dana Gioia is a man, and a very impressive guy. This report was written back in the Bush era.
I’ve met Dana Gioia and had dinner with him in New York some years ago, after he published his excellent book, “Can poetry matter?”
He’s also a very fine poet. He was a business executive who did very well, and then decided to quit because literature was more important to him. One of the few contemporary poets whom I really enjoy.
Here’s a pretty good one, called “Cruising with the Beach Boys”:
So strange to hear that song again tonight
Travelling on business in a rented car
Miles from anywhere I’ve been before.
And now a tune I haven’t heard for years
Probably not since it last left the charts
Back in L.A. in 1969.
I can’t believe I know the words by heart
And can’t think of a girl to blame them on.
Every lovesick summer has its song,
And this one I pretended to despise,
But if I was alone when it came on,
I turned it up full-blast to sing along —
A primal scream in croaky baritone,
The notes all flat, the lyrics mostly slurred.
No wonder I spent so much time alone
Making the rounds in Dad’s old Thunderbird.
Some nights I drove down to the beach to park
And walk along the railings of the pier.
The water down below was cold and dark,
The waves monotonous against the shore.
The darkness and the mist, the midnight sea,
The flickering lights reflected from the city —
A perfect setting for a boy like me,
The Cecil B. DeMille of my self-pity.
I thought by now I’d left those nights behind,
Lost like the girls that I could never get,
Gone with the years, junked with the old T-Bird.
But one old song, a stretch of empty road,
Can open up a door and let them fall
Tumbling like boxes from a dusty shelf,
Tightening my throat for no reason at all
Bringing on tears shed only for myself.
Copyright 1986, Dana Gioia
When the St. Louis Post-Dispatch assassinated the Globe-Democrat, it didn’t know it but it signed it’s own death warrant. I can’t wait to see its last pitiful edition!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.