slowguy wrote:
The job of the press is not supposed to be profits. It's supposed to be reporting the news and informing the public. The problem is that the job of the "press" has been subordinated to the profit motive of the "media."
I disagree. With the exception of NPR and few others, mainstream media are commercial enterprises and have always had to create profit for private or public owners. IMO, the difference today is that there is so much low-quality or plagiarized content available for free that fewer and fewer consumers are willing to spend money that would finance true investigative journalism.
Sensationalist stories draw clicks and are self-financing and profitable. An experienced reporter investigating local corruption or malfeasance or incompetence, etc. for the better part of a year is probably at least a $100k investment. How many newspapers or agencies would realize the additional subscriptions or views to justify that?
Again, just IMO, I think this is one of the biggest problems that affect us today. Fact checking is expensive. In depth investigation is expensive. If there is a free buffet of shrink-wrap sandwiches, canned soup and box wine that's open all day every day, how many restaurants are going to survive that have to charge for fresh, made-from-scratch dishes and a nice Syrah?
Brian
Gonna buy a fast car, put on my lead boots, take a long, long drive
I may end up spending all my money, but I'll still be alive