LA Times' Steve Lopez on the newspaper business

http://www.latimes.com/news/columnists/la-me-lopez21jun21,1,6404341.column?coll=la-news-columns

 

Good column and he makes some sharp points. Steve Lopez is a pro...every time I read him, I'm impressed.

 

I still like to think of us as vibrant, highly profitable businesses rather than something that needs the protection of a philanthropic curator, as if we're dinosaur bones in a museum. I think it would be nice if more papers became privately owned by people who want healthy but not ridiculous profits, but I think being owned by a j-school or philanthropy would be horrible because of the ivory tower and elitist factors. I think a lot of what I read on poynter.org by the faculty is total bullshit -- dangerously naive at times -- and I think I would find it more draining to deal with those people than I would with the corporate types.

 

Agreed. I have one of his best philosophies tacked up on my desk at work, which forever reminds me the importance of reporting as opposed to just opining.

"Opinion is cheaper than ever and easier to come by."

 

Publicly traded corporation is the worst kind of ownership. It's not working for anybody.

It's been stated here many times that private ownership hasn't proven to be any better. To be blunt, oftentimes you're at the whim of an eccentric or a scrooge.

That leaves nonprofit.

 

What we really need to do is get back to the good old days of state-controlled media.

 

And if you're in non-profit, you're not getting paid what you're really worth.

 

Well, St. Pete Times pays pretty well.

Forgive me if I'm missing some sarcasm font thing here.

 

Tupelo, Miss., pays well for papers its size in Mississippi.

 

As others said, not necessarily true. Nonprofits pay fine. The top execs may not roll in the stock options, but for us peons it probably wouldn't make much difference. Might even help, if ownership believed in investing in quality reporters.
Good column. I especially liked the part about journalists being cranky types who don't take well to direction.

 

"Are you very well read? Or very well red?" 

 

No sarcasm intended.

In the last five years I have worked full-time in the non-profit sector (in PR, not journalism). While I make good money, I'm sure I could make at least 15-20 % more in the private sector.

Of course, I'd also have to deal with a lot of corporate bullshit, and that ain't me. So, the lower pay is well worth preserving my sanity.