Newspapers
As a former longtime newspaper reporter, editor and publisher myself, I think Moore and Temple are doing a pretty good job in two of the toughest, most unappreciated and grossly underpaid jobs in Colorado. (And for sure, they hardly ever run their papers to suit me.) Reporter Heath Urie (in a letter, same page) blames the newspaper industry for its own downturn, but that’s not because of a lack of “quality, complete coverage each day.” If anything, newspapers have tried to be too many things to too many people, and with the exception of two, or possibly three nationally, have ended up overextended and fragmented.
One cause of their financial distress is that newspapers have quit being of service to their customers, charging way too much for ordinary classifieds (driving them to the Internet), pricing display-ad space beyond the reach of most small businesses, and charging dearly for personal items such as death notices and obituaries.
Another financial glitch is that they have never figured out a way to make those who pirate their work pay for it. Newspapers have been far too generous in allowing initially radio, then TV, and now the Internet and its bloggers to steal news that they themselves have spent a great deal of time, energy and money to report. One has to wonder what most of these “news sources” would use for material if in fact newspapers did close down.
A revised copyright law providing for the fair reimbursement of newspapers whose reports are used by secondary parties for gain, seems to me a fair arrangement. Music rights can be monitored and protected, why not newspaper reports?
This letter has not been edited.
Nothing titillating, huh? That HUGE front page shot of Mr. Manzanares was not meant to mean anything at all, is that right? It was just a picture, huh? WOW are you guys weird. I don't care how relevant the charges of deleting pornography were to your sensibilities , I find it degrading how often your paper will sensationalize something to sell papers. A stupid, simple mistake ended up in a suicide and you don't THINK you did anything to contribute to that? Hmm... I think I'll stop reading your rag.
Posted by Rose Tyner on July 5, 2007 11:31 PM There are some newspapers that make a valiant effort to report the news. Others have the sole objective of "making a buck."
While it is not possible for any enterprise to keep functioning without, at the very least, breaking even it is also true that it has the very real responsibility to keep the public informed. That is why our founders placed "freedom of the press" as a guaranteed freedom in the constitution. Unfortunately, what this individual finds is that in many so-called newspapers, as well as other "news" outlets, that has been re-interpreted by the media itself as an entitlement to profit.
The media itself must begin a re-examintation of itself. "Freedom of the press" only provides protection from government interference. It does not provide such protection from "the press" itself. As is often the case "We are our own worst enemy", and until "the press" comes to that realization, and admits it, the decline will continue.
Nobody likes to be criticized, even the press. However, if they are, instead of reacting like a cat with its tail stepped on, it should reflect on that criticism and determine whether there may not be some validity in the critique. Unless they do, how else will they improve?
A man commits a minor crime and puts his career in jeopardy. He then abondons his family by commiting suicide. And all this is the newspapers' fault? What a joke. Is anyone responsible for their own actions aymore in this who-can-we-blame America we now live in?
Posted by J on July 6, 2007 11:00 AM