The biggest surprise was the surprise itself.
What is left of Michigan’s journalism corps reacted in collective shock this week with the announced closure of the Ann Arbor News. Now here is an illustration of WHY it is closing… the most thorough news about the closing can be found on a nonprofit blog written by a former Ann Arbor News sports columnist.
The Ann Arbor News announcement — coupled with down-sizings and hefty pay cuts at sister papers in Grand Rapids, Flint, Bay City, and Saginaw — is a tremor to equal the news of a few months ago that the Detroit papers would cease home delivery four days a week and focus most of their efforts online.
But the tremors should come as no surprise.
Traditional media is disappearing by the day, replaced by a way-less-than-fully-formed cacophony of niche publications and blogs…. Metromode, Capital Gains, the Ann Arbor Chronicle, a coming business news bureau in Detroit, the online publications of the Michigan Land Use Institute… and… this Fresh Thoughts e-newsletter (which, by the way, has seen a 15 percent increase in subscribers this year and a 10-fold increase since late 2006).
The fear is all these niche players will never replace the heft and reporting depth newspapers have so long provided. The other fear is that the public won’t realize what it is missing until it is gone. Jo Mathis, a poignant voice in the Ann Arbor News for the past 15 years, had nailed it in her column this week…
“Most people don’t realize how much of the news you see online or on TV or hear on the radio started with a newspaper reporter. But we’ve seen it time after time. We hear the words we’ve written recited on local radio. Not long ago The Detroit News reported about the crazy low cost of housing in Detroit. The next day, the “CBS Evening News” reported the same thing. Coincidence? Doubtful.”
But amidst the panic there will arise opportunity. In this same painful week for Michigan journalists, a Maryland congressman has proposed legislation to create nonprofit newspapers. (Resist the many wisecracks — there is a clear strategy here.)
Michigan’s philanthropic community has a long history of engagement in public engagement and public policy issues. Those philanthropies are not going to stand idly by, in this era of economic crisis in Michigan, while the Fourth Estate crumbles into dust.
4 Comments
Government interference is not “opportunity”. How do you think the founding fathers would react to the notion of government controlling a means of information? Exactly, and that’s why freedom of the press is a constitutionally protected right. Read the legislation of this unconstitutional government power grab and see for yourself.
On top of that, newspapers are failing in the marketplace. Consumers are CHOOSING not to spend their money on them. But here comes government to seize more taxpayer money and put it into something that taxpayers have already made a conscious decision not to support.
Clearly, something needs to be done to allow continuance of our 230-plus years of press freedom. While the internet is amazingly dynamic, there exists a great need for truthful, balanced, non-partisan news gathering, as opposed to opinion sharing.
Likely the current revised publishing schedules will be a temporary remedy, and one reasonable alternative will probably emerge within the next five years or so. Meanwhile, mourn the loss, gratefully read the remaining and think how best to present future impartial news reporting in our nation.
I would like to clearly state, that with blogging, and newsphereing, and the ever increasing network society, people get the news faster with their ipods and blackberry’s than anything else.
The days of the old ink and paper have come to pass. It is time to hang it up in the museum. Digital monologues and internet information is spilling into our laps at an astounding rate, Simply turn on your digital palm gadget, and go to MSNBC, Yahoo, Google, Ask, or any other source to get the updates in news that would take you over night to print, the new 3g networks allows immediate streaming. This is already up with full colour photos, and sometimes streaming live action.
The fact that the papers are shutting down isn’t a catastrophe, it is just a saddening reality. Unless newspapers and magazine companies start learning how to make internet based portals that are connecting to people in their local areas, These companies are going to die.
I have no shame in saying, At least the rain forest isn’t going to be threatened all to much longer by the constant need for paper.
My only comment is to get a system in place, where your editors, and writers can post online, and can send uptodate information to who ever signs up for the information.
#1 You charge a monthly fee
#2 the phone companies get monies.
#3 The readers still get their intel.
If you can not do that, than (waves hand)
*shrugs*