In New York media today, a massive layoff at the New York Daily News has rivaled as mass layoff, putting the torturous “Massacre of 1996” that took 6 anchors off a job from the newscast at WCBS-TV (of which one of the papers called it the said title at that time) to put shame very lightly. It’s much worse.
Channel 2’s loss 20+ years ago is pure child’s play. And in fact, this may impact the Daily News in almost a similar PR crisis, unlike local TV, you can beat the odds of bad TV ratings 10 years is not something a newspaper in the 2010s can do, especially in a different business climate. Over 40 newsroom employees got the boot, most in the sports unit and photogs that got a notice today, as the paper was sold to Tronic last fall, (aka the Chicago Tribune company… for all intensive purposes, I’m going to just call it Tribune because I feel every time I mention it, I have to pay Disney or somebody for mentioning part of a movie of yesteryear.)
When I saw Tronic trending, I was surprised to see the Daily News in the same graph. I didn’t know they were sold. According to The New York Times, it was actually sold for a $1 by Mort Zuckerman, the former owner.
Some of these people are critical for a news operation, such as assignment editors and sports writers, of which now New York Yankees stories may very well come from a blog or a wire service going to a “local” “hometown team” paper. Even worse, the Bronx Bombers are in Tampa Bay and the writer has been relieved of his duties prior to coming back home to the Five Boroughs.
As I have stated, democracy is in it’s darkest time, and it’s only getting worse. Sure our current Presidant isn’t helping matters with his “fake news” schtick, NYDN is now in the club of what may become “small market hell”, newspapers that follow flashy and trashy stories, that focuses on stories to get people to buy the papers and get angry, and go soft on officials.
In an ultra conservative/authoritative-but-yet-“free” state, our media is essentially the PR to authorities but yet never investigate them or follow up, that includes the leftie WMUR-TV in Manchester, and the never-Trump right of tilting Union Leader. OTTH WGIR-AM the long time iHeartRadio station that infringes the trademark of real all “newsradio” doesn’t even do serious news in the first place. The former two always trusts what the state and local government tells you, and and never had serious investigative journalism outlets, unless it fit their narrative. Any in depth reporting is often done in a visual, flashy manner, and worse it’s reactive and not proactive. They start writing or airing stories of the opioid crisis, when one too many stops coming down for breakfast, going in the logic of “strength in numbers”. What about reporting on single instance that impacted one person and see if that mushrooms into a reactive event for the public to respond?
For you New Yorkers, neighborhood news will be replaced by house fires, not that the Daily News has done their share of crime stories, but perhaps you’ll see less local political stories, or whatever shapes the bias of the editorials and flashy stories from nowhere near the Tri-State area.
Assignment Editors will most likely be replaced by “dispatchers” where they’ll tell reporters to interview people for random stories they didn’t ask to be interviewed in the first place.
Journalism North of Boston has been almost trashy, and tacky. Network TV news is bad as well. I’ve stated that watching ABC World News is like going to a chop shop – a pawn shop. I’m like, where the hell do they get the news? Is this what Orwell meant in 1984, a newscast summarizing activity based on Telescreens nightly? Are we that perverted?
I just wrote up on Howie Carr and how his political prejudices and selling out his reputation to Donald Trump and attacking local media, and following the political populous is dangerous to democracy. Worse, people are consuming media like it’s Season 10 of American Idol, folks following the verses George Thorgood’s infamous Who Do You Love? News and politics is not about favoritism or a religious cult, or is it now and I forgot to accept the change of standards?
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