Why Newspapers Are Dying: The Ann Coulter Edition

Right Wing News ^ | June 21, 2010 | John Hawkins

[Syncro]

Why Newspapers Are Dying: The Ann Coulter Edition
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Townhall is the big league of conservative punditry. All of the A-List conservative columnists, with the exception of perhaps Mark Steyn, Karl Rove, & Peggy Noonan write for them. Thomas Sowell, Walter Williams, Michelle Malkin, Charles Krauthammer, Mike Adams, George Will, Jonah Goldberg, Victor Davis Hanson, -- they're all at Townhall, along with a lot of other top notch pundits.

So last night, I took a look at the 5 most popular columns for the last 30 days on Townhall. So, which of those incredibly talented columnists made the list? Actually, as of last night, none of them:

Now, it's no secret that Ann Coulter is an extremely popular columnist, but that's a level of domination you seldom see from anyone not named Michael Jordan, Greg LeMond, or George S. Patton.

But, it also reminded me of something Ann Coulter said in my 5th interview with her.

There are newspapers all over the country going out of business today and that brings up a question. From what I have seen, no insult meant to Mark Steyn, Charles Krauthammer, Thomas Sowell, etc., but you seem to be the single most popular columnist in America with conservatives. So, how many papers run your column?

Thank you for noticing! And thank you for reminding me of the devastating collapse of the newspaper industry. I love a happy ending!

The only newspaper big enough to be on Nexis to carry my column is my home newspaper, Human Events, which was also Ronald Reagan's favorite newspaper. If that's how the newspaper industry treats the author of seven massive New York Times bestsellers - including one that was a collection of the columns most newspapers were refusing to publish -- how can any bright young conservative writer expect to be published?...

So, there you go. A woman whose last 5 columns were the 5 most popular columns at Townhall for an entire month can't get mainstream media outlets to carry her column. Yet, you have journalists all across the country griping that no one wants to read newspapers anymore. Well, when you're completely indifferent to what your customers want, it's no shock that they're not interested in your product.

[wintertime]

Re: Coulter

As a proud “Crank”, I ( personally) will never willingly give Coulter another dime of my money.

[VRW Conspirator]

I'm always getting calls to subscribe to newspapers, I just tell them my bird died

LOL

[ozzymandus]

My local paper dropped Ann’s column under pressure from a few lefties after she criticized the Jersey Girls exploitation of their husband’s deaths on 9/11 for their own leftist politics. I remind them periodically of how much their circulation has dropped since they dropped Ann. It probably won’t do any good, but I enjoy rubbing their liberal noses in their own failure.

[ozzymandus]

Ann will do just fine without your dime. Meanwhile, you will remain ignorant, uninformed, and humor challenged.

[Trillian]

I use our newspapers to wrap presents throughout the year, craft projects, under arts and crafts to contain messes, packing fragile items etc. I can’t remember the last time I actually read one. I do my reading online.

[Mere Survival]

The thing is that I think Ann Coulter is the smartest person in the room. Whatever room she’s in. I really respect her intellect, no insult at all to Steyn or Sowell.

[wintertime]

A nickel here, a nickel there. It’s amazing how those dimes add up!

[grey_whiskers]

Ann Coulter is a great columnist, but I'd rate Mark Steyn and Dr. Thomas Sowell better. Part of the reason is that Ann has to resort to shock statements to get the most attention whereas Steyn uses humorous satire and Sowell uses pure intellect to accomplish the same think.

I used to think so, before I considered what "PC" means and where it came from.

"Politically correct" means *prospective* constraints on speech, where you self-censor, then censor others, based on the anticipated punishment for something you were going to have said.

Ann, by coming out and saying something even worse than the (false) accusations which would have been used to silence conservatives, for much less than what she herself said, acts to purchase conversational "breathing room" against accusations of "Crimethink."

We owe her all a great deal.

Cheers!

[grey_whiskers]

Ann Coulter is a great columnist, but I'd rate Mark Steyn and Dr. Thomas Sowell better. Part of the reason is that Ann has to resort to shock statements to get the most attention whereas Steyn uses humorous satire and Sowell uses pure intellect to accomplish the same think.

I used to think so, before I considered what "PC" means and where it came from.

"Politically correct" means *prospective* constraints on speech, where you self-censor, then censor others, based on the anticipated punishment for something you were going to have said.

Ann, by coming out and saying something even worse than the (false) accusations which would have been used to silence conservatives, for much less than what she herself said, acts to purchase conversational "breathing room" against accusations of "Crimethink."

We owe her all a great deal.

Cheers!

[Elsie]

when you're completely indifferent to what your customers want, it's no shock that they're not interested in your product.

[Elsie]

Slightly different audiences...

Same message...

Different delivery...

[Elsie]

"Politically correct" means ...

There is a RELIGIOUSLY Correct as well - an OPRAHisation of 'religion' where we all sing Kumbaya and just get along; no matter WHAT heretical (compared to Christianity) 'beliefs' are being bandied about.

There is a fierce group of Religious Warriors on FR that has had enough and are speaking out to SUPPORT Christianity in much the same manner of these columnists mentioned in this thread.

[Syncro]

She don't want or need your filthy lucre Crank

Thanks for the bump to a great thread!

[Syncro]

Amen to that!