What Happened to Newspapers?

What Happened to Newspapers?

As a former journalist, I get asked from time to time to explain what happened to newspapers and where journalism is headed.  In that context, a friend recently sent me a book by Joe Strupp called “Killing Journalism: How greed, laziness [and Donald Trump] are destroying news and how we can save it.”

Suffice to say that while the book contains interesting insights, the title is misleading. This sort of sensationalism is exactly what Strupp accuses all too many publications of doing: in fact, it is one of his major themes. Why do it? Because it sells, which brings me to one point readers need to keep in mind: the old Pogo adage of “we have met the enemy and he is us.”

The Importance of Disruption in the Arts

When one hears the word "disruption" these days, it is generally in the economic context -- venture capitalists searching for the next big high-tech startup capable of upsetting traditional means of doing business and reaping billions of dollars in profits by so doing.

But according  the editor of T, the New York Times Style Magazine, disruption is just as important as a means of advancing the arts.  The Oct. 22, 2017 edition of T is devoted to "the greats" -- seven living persons chosen collectively by the publication's staff as being exceptional in their fields for arguably bringing about fundamental change.

Silicon Valley Upset By Trump, But Partially Responsible

Ok, this post is not about fiction -- unfortunately.

But, as we are learning hour by hour, President Donald Trump's executive order on immigration has caused chaos, not just at airports and other points of entry into the U.S., but around the world.

Is The Food Industry Next in Line for "Disruption?"

The business section of the July 31, 2015, San Francisco Chronicle featured a story entitled “Food Industry Ripe for Disruption,” which brought to mind a short story in the June 22 New Yorker by Ben Marcus entitled “The Grow Light Blues.”

The story is about a rather sad individual named Carl who becomes badly disfigured after he agrees to be a guinea pig for a start-up named Mayflower, the maniacal CEO of which believes grow lights could be used to deliver nutrients to humans in place of conventional food -- while people are involved in other activities, such as using a computer.