Comments on: What would you do with… the LA Times? http://www.buzzmachine.com/2006/10/12/what-would-you-do-with-the-la-times/ by Jeff Jarvis Mon, 13 Oct 2008 02:33:40 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: BuzzMachine » Blog Archive » First, find the uranium http://www.buzzmachine.com/2006/10/12/what-would-you-do-with-the-la-times/#comment-167383 BuzzMachine » Blog Archive » First, find the uranium Sat, 21 Oct 2006 04:21:13 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/?p=2100#comment-167383 [...] The Bivings Report reports that the LA Times Manhattan project task force came calling for advice. It’ll be fun if we can track their progress via blogs. [...] [...] The Bivings Report reports that the LA Times Manhattan project task force came calling for advice. It’ll be fun if we can track their progress via blogs. [...]

]]> By: Tom Grey - Liberty Dad http://www.buzzmachine.com/2006/10/12/what-would-you-do-with-the-la-times/#comment-162411 Tom Grey - Liberty Dad Mon, 16 Oct 2006 07:49:28 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/?p=2100#comment-162411 Hire at least one explicitly pro-Bush registered Republican as an editor, one who: a) supports the Iraq war (with criticisms) and b) supports the tax cuts (Dow record high! among best growth in G-8) c) is pro-life. Such a person should have the power to ask for substantiation of reporter's reports, i.e. facts. And point out the anti-Bush bias/ spin on every front page article. That would be his job. Printing the Lancet study AND some criticisms of it, like the mismatch with death certificates. Hire at least one explicitly pro-Bush registered Republican as an editor, one who:
a) supports the Iraq war (with criticisms) and
b) supports the tax cuts (Dow record high! among best growth in G-8)
c) is pro-life.

Such a person should have the power to ask for substantiation of reporter’s reports, i.e. facts. And point out the anti-Bush bias/ spin on every front page article.
That would be his job.

Printing the Lancet study AND some criticisms of it, like the mismatch with death certificates.

]]> By: Patricia http://www.buzzmachine.com/2006/10/12/what-would-you-do-with-the-la-times/#comment-160752 Patricia Fri, 13 Oct 2006 19:39:43 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/?p=2100#comment-160752 Our local came out with a wrongheaded mini-edition of wire reports etc., which predictably failed. The Register is now in full LAT-ish begging-for- subscription mode, is bleeding ad revenue and laying off staffers. http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/money/abox/article_1250236.php Most people who have canceled their papers do so because they're sick of the bias they read on the hard news page. Publish a mini-edition with short articles from the wire (and LINKS to related pro and con on blogs), leave the features/entertainment/ads intact, and duplicate that setup on the website. Open up comments on the website. IOW get out of the zealotry biz. It would be hot. Our local came out with a wrongheaded mini-edition of wire reports etc., which predictably failed. The Register is now in full LAT-ish begging-for- subscription mode, is bleeding ad revenue and laying off staffers.

http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/money/abox/article_1250236.php

Most people who have canceled their papers do so because they’re sick of the bias they read on the hard news page. Publish a mini-edition with short articles from the wire (and LINKS to related pro and con on blogs), leave the features/entertainment/ads intact, and duplicate that setup on the website. Open up comments on the website. IOW get out of the zealotry biz. It would be hot.

]]> By: Old Grouch http://www.buzzmachine.com/2006/10/12/what-would-you-do-with-the-la-times/#comment-160726 Old Grouch Fri, 13 Oct 2006 18:42:03 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/?p=2100#comment-160726 <em>"lost in all this snootier-than-thou New Media condescension is some (or in fact any) acknowledgement of the fact that without the much-derided MSM to give all the blogosphere their story leads & material, we’ll all be quickly back to blogging about how cute it is when Cuddles the Kitty chews on our little pink sock."</em> Much of the blogospheric fulmination I've encountered seems to be provoked by the MSM's penchant for delivering superficial spin and snark in lieu of accurate, detailed, and insightful reporting (ironic because spin and snark are abundant on the web, while reporting is rare). Opinion is easy, reporting is hard, but bloggers bloviate for free while reporters get paid. Perhaps if the MSM gets back to its job there might be more readers? “lost in all this snootier-than-thou New Media condescension is some (or in fact any) acknowledgement of the fact that without the much-derided MSM to give all the blogosphere their story leads & material, we’ll all be quickly back to blogging about how cute it is when Cuddles the Kitty chews on our little pink sock.”

Much of the blogospheric fulmination I’ve encountered seems to be provoked by the MSM’s penchant for delivering superficial spin and snark in lieu of accurate, detailed, and insightful reporting (ironic because spin and snark are abundant on the web, while reporting is rare). Opinion is easy, reporting is hard, but bloggers bloviate for free while reporters get paid. Perhaps if the MSM gets back to its job there might be more readers?

]]> By: Link bucket: : Small Initiatives - Sensible Internet Design http://www.buzzmachine.com/2006/10/12/what-would-you-do-with-the-la-times/#comment-160562 Link bucket: : Small Initiatives - Sensible Internet Design Fri, 13 Oct 2006 13:49:17 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/?p=2100#comment-160562 [...] If you were Tribune Co., what would you do with the Los Angeles Times? Before you answer, whatever you were planning to say was probably already said by one of the following: Jeff Jarvis, Barry Parr, Robert Niles or Michael Kinsley. What would I do? Everything I could to make it a Los Angeles brand serving the Los Angeles area with Los Angeles-area news and information for the lives and to the benefits of Los Angeles-area people. I would eliminate all purposes higher and lower than that. [...] [...] If you were Tribune Co., what would you do with the Los Angeles Times? Before you answer, whatever you were planning to say was probably already said by one of the following: Jeff Jarvis, Barry Parr, Robert Niles or Michael Kinsley. What would I do? Everything I could to make it a Los Angeles brand serving the Los Angeles area with Los Angeles-area news and information for the lives and to the benefits of Los Angeles-area people. I would eliminate all purposes higher and lower than that. [...]

]]> By: Jay Currie http://www.buzzmachine.com/2006/10/12/what-would-you-do-with-the-la-times/#comment-160411 Jay Currie Fri, 13 Oct 2006 09:08:04 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/?p=2100#comment-160411 The Manhatten project for print is to figure out how to build electric paper. There have been discussions of moving to a user owned bit of electric paper which was, to a degree foldable, for years. Sony, if I recall, has a somewhat elegant solution in black and white with the crispness of a decent printing job on better than average quality newsprint. As you have pointed out often Jeff, the value is in the people having the hissy fits not the dead trees and ink by the gallon. Now, were the LA Times, NTY and WaPo to get together and fund the research needed to produce a real electric paper product they would be able to leverage the value their people bring to the dead trees. I suspect the biggest problem about a wifi enabled reader is not technological; rather it is the fact that it would let people stray off to fact check idiocies like the most recent Lancet piece. Having the net window open as you read your morning paper would make for rather more critical readers. At the same time, reading about the tying run in the bottom of the ninth and then clicking for video of the three bagger would make reading the paper fun again. The Manhatten project for print is to figure out how to build electric paper.

There have been discussions of moving to a user owned bit of electric paper which was, to a degree foldable, for years. Sony, if I recall, has a somewhat elegant solution in black and white with the crispness of a decent printing job on better than average quality newsprint.

As you have pointed out often Jeff, the value is in the people having the hissy fits not the dead trees and ink by the gallon. Now, were the LA Times, NTY and WaPo to get together and fund the research needed to produce a real electric paper product they would be able to leverage the value their people bring to the dead trees.

I suspect the biggest problem about a wifi enabled reader is not technological; rather it is the fact that it would let people stray off to fact check idiocies like the most recent Lancet piece. Having the net window open as you read your morning paper would make for rather more critical readers.

At the same time, reading about the tying run in the bottom of the ninth and then clicking for video of the three bagger would make reading the paper fun again.

]]> By: wordyeti http://www.buzzmachine.com/2006/10/12/what-would-you-do-with-the-la-times/#comment-160231 wordyeti Fri, 13 Oct 2006 05:44:04 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/?p=2100#comment-160231 While it's true that nobody throws a hissy fit like a journalist - because, after all, what else are we for? - lost in all this snootier-than-thou New Media condescension is some (or in fact any) acknowledgement of the fact that without the much-derided MSM to give all the blogosphere their story leads & material, we'll all be quickly back to blogging about how cute it is when Cuddles the Kitty chews on our little pink sock. The revolution ain't here yet, kids. When our media doesn't do its job, we as a country wind up acting on bad information. Such as the belief that there are actually WMDs in Iraq. Wonder what bad decisions we're making on a daily basis because the information we're using to make the value judgments is incomplete, skewed or flat-out missing...? While it’s true that nobody throws a hissy fit like a journalist - because, after all, what else are we for? - lost in all this snootier-than-thou New Media condescension is some (or in fact any) acknowledgement of the fact that without the much-derided MSM to give all the blogosphere their story leads & material, we’ll all be quickly back to blogging about how cute it is when Cuddles the Kitty chews on our little pink sock.

The revolution ain’t here yet, kids.

When our media doesn’t do its job, we as a country wind up acting on bad information. Such as the belief that there are actually WMDs in Iraq.

Wonder what bad decisions we’re making on a daily basis because the information we’re using to make the value judgments is incomplete, skewed or flat-out missing…?

]]> By: Matt Welch http://www.buzzmachine.com/2006/10/12/what-would-you-do-with-the-la-times/#comment-160215 Matt Welch Fri, 13 Oct 2006 05:04:16 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/?p=2100#comment-160215 I have nothing to do whatsoever with the Manhattan Project, having first learned about it this morning, but I <i>do</i> work at the L.A. Times, and have access to its blog innards, so I've created a <a HREF="http://opinion.latimes.com/opinionla/2006/10/just_like_the_m.html" rel="nofollow">blog post</a> with links and an opportunity to leave comments (though they have to be approved, and I might be asleep when the things come in, etc.). I have nothing to do whatsoever with the Manhattan Project, having first learned about it this morning, but I do work at the L.A. Times, and have access to its blog innards, so I’ve created a blog post with links and an opportunity to leave comments (though they have to be approved, and I might be asleep when the things come in, etc.).

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