Momma, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Editorialists

Kevin Richert at his blog bemoans the decline of his profession:

I’m not blind to the reality, and neither are you. I know newspapers are
facing tough times. Many papers, including this one, are trying to do a very
demanding job with fewer people. It’s difficult. It’s also frightening.

I’ve long believed that Opinion pages reflect a newspaper’s conscience — but
I also believe they represent our future. In a virtual sea of instant
commentary and opinion, an editorial page stands apart. We think locally and
independently. We strive to provide careful analysis and a clear action
plan, on the issues that matter most to this community. We buy ink by the
barrel and let you have the last round. And we employ the same model online.

Relevant? Viable? No doubt in my mind. We need to make that case to you
every day, but I’m game to that challenge.

In more whimsical moments, I feel like my employers have set me loose with a
blank sketch pad and one of those big boxes of Crayolas — the ones that just
smell like the first day of school. These days, I’m not feeling quite as
whimsical. Just stubborn about fighting for a profession I love.

When I read e-mails from colleagues — saddened, outraged and determined — I know I’m not alone.

I don’t agree with Richert on most things, but I’m impressed by how passionate he is about his work. I don’t personally wish him ill. I think the decline of the newspaper is tied to the fact that Americans read less, they trust media less, and care less about what they think. It’s that simple. I don’t think this is all Richert’s fault (though I suppose since he’s on vacation, I could blame him.)

The decline of newspaper, particularly ones with more aggressive liberal agendas like the Statesman could be good news for conservatives IF some conservative-based news source were overtaking them. But Talk Radio or blogs of any stripe haven’t been growing fast enough to make up for the decline of newspaper. The main thing that has grown has been Comedy Central’s mock news shows, “The Daily Show” and “The Colbert Report.” Yes, there are Americans out there who only get their news from these sources.

Still, there seems to be a large portion of the population that gets no news unless a story on Yahoo or MSN catches their eye. Either way, the trend’s not good. There are a lot of ill-informed and mis-informed folks out there. The post-newspaper world may not be much better for conservative causes then the current one.