Second, that no one really knew what to do. But in fairness I think that’s SOP for a general panel, which in my experience is really a jumping off point for further discussion and awesome Twitter discussion. So:
And: I really do think that in these whither journalism discussions there really isn’t enough discussion as to whether there’s a crisis of writing in newspapers and magazines. ‘Cause I think there is. Just to take an immediate example, the New York Times, given basically anyone in America to fill a slot on the most valuable op-ed real estate in the country, chose Ross Douthat, who has not merely demonstrated problems with basic factual interpretation, he also writes like old people eat (I wish that was my line, but it’s not; it comes from the best-written blog ever, Chauncey Billups).
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“@acmaurer re madonna: celeb coverage = pop normative ethics = news? A thought. #cmfc”
During the afterparty, Steve Rhodes of the Beachwood Reporter had a probably futile but clever and resonant idea kind of along those lines that, I think, bears mentioning: journalists should make the median income for their community, max, because being in spitting distance of both comfort and poverty might help you understand, and thus communicate, both. (Also, it should go without saying, you can put more journalists to work, though if you are run by Thieving Bastards, it probably won’t translate into that.)
