James Clay Fuller

Things We're Not Supposed to Say

Saturday, January 05, 2008

The ediots who are killing newspapers

Thursday, before the Iowa caucuses, I turned on my television set briefly, to see if there might be any real news breaking.

Sometimes television will tell you that.

On one of the talking-head cable stations, I'm not even sure which one, I ran across an odd program that consisted of several people talking, one by one, in short statements. They were identified, in lettering below their wagging mouths, as “newspaper executive” or “newspaper editor” or some other variation on that theme. No names, oddly, either personal or newspaper, though one must assume they had been identified by name at the beginning of whatever peculiar show it was.

What those supposed newspaper bigwigs were talking about is why they print the crap they do, and why they don't bother much covering serious news or the kind of news that has real and long-lasting significance for the lives of human beings.

“We do research,” said one very smug mug. “We do focus groups and take surveys. People say they want real news, but what they really want to read is the little blonde girl who disappeared in Europe.”

“We know readers really want celebrity news,” said a woman who reminded me in more ways than one of the MBA-holding jenny who now is editor of the once-fine newspaper where I labored for 30 years. “They're bored by serious things.”

About three more such quick comments and I snapped the thing off in raging disgust.

Half an hour later, I realized I should have sat through it and taken notes for the edification of those who read my stuff. I should have found out who those alleged newspaper editors and/or publishers were and what newspapers that represented, or misrepresented.

When I hear such fools -- it's hard not to hear one every week or so, somewhere, expounding on why they don't do real reporting any more and, by strong implication, on the fact that Americans are dribbling idiots -- I want to put them against a wall and make a couple of points of my own.

The main point being: Hey, jackasses, you say you are dumbing down your publications because it's what the public wants. But the public is abandoning you in rapidly increasing numbers. If you're giving them what they want, why is that happening? And have you noticed that the only newspapers holding their ground on circulation are the handful of newspapers that continue to try to do serious reporting on the issues and events that really matter?

As with the moguls of finance and heavy industry, however, there is a wall of ideology and stupidity that cannot be breached. The only thing to do is break them and replace them.