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Jim VandeHei of Politco on the digital media "crap trap"

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by FileNotFound, Apr 26, 2016.

  1. FileNotFound

    FileNotFound Well-Known Member

    Escaping the Digital Media ‘Crap Trap’

    Some very good points in this short piece. The highlight for me:

    "In coming years, the revolution will likely demolish much of what we read and watch now. State and local newspapers and TV? Gone. Their models are fatally flawed. General interest magazines such as Time and Newsweek? Gone or unrecognizable shells of their former selves. Traditional TV and cable? Shrinking and scrambling. Clickbait machines such as Gawker, or Ozy, or Mashable? Gone or gobbled up by bigger players.

    "At the same time, the need for content, especially (but not only) video content, will explode. It will be a mad rush that makes the 1980s’ race to create new cable channels seems like a leisurely stroll."

    I've wasted way too much time reading "the industry is dying" think pieces that don't put forth any effort to look forward. I think VandeHei's ideas are pretty straightforward and make sense: Quality matters; that's what people will pay for; and traditional media companies clinging to the existing business model will not be able to make that happen; but that doesn't mean it's not possible.

    Other thoughts?
     
  2. LongTimeListener

    LongTimeListener Well-Known Member

    What indication is there, based on the last 20 years, that "quality matters" and "that's what people will pay for"?

    Just more navel-gazing about the world we wish instead of the world that exists.
     
  3. swingline

    swingline Well-Known Member

  4. FileNotFound

    FileNotFound Well-Known Member

  5. MisterCreosote

    MisterCreosote Well-Known Member

    VandeHei makes a fatal assumption that the companies peddling all of the clickbait shit these days got into it to "produce news or info they might be proud of."

    They didn't.
     
  6. Earthman

    Earthman Well-Known Member

    Story does not match up. It does not sound like Charles P read that story
    in question.
     
  7. goalmouth

    goalmouth Well-Known Member

    Convergence: Getting paid to write crap about how much crap people are writing to get paid.
     
  8. Old Time Hockey

    Old Time Hockey Active Member

    I think I might rather read clickbait than this column. At least clickbait doesn't pretend to be significant.
     
    goalmouth likes this.
  9. wicked

    wicked Well-Known Member

    Politico puts out enough click-bait type stuff itself. Kind of rich to read him trashing the idea.
     
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