This guy gets it

"Exactly when did cheapening the product and making it worse become the way to do things in the U.S.A.?"

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,2276808,00.asp?kc=PCRSS03079TX1K0000584

 

I never thought I would say this: I agree wholeheartedly with John C. Dvorak.

Bookmark it, folks; I may never say that again.

 

Someone needs to slip this article under the office doors of every publisher and editor-in-chief in America.

I especially like this:

"Increasing staff and producing a better product is the only way to fight redundancy, the true crux of the problem. People see that they can get the same news in 100 different places. This is where the Internet becomes the great equalizer.''

And, daunting as it is, this:

"And the cog-in-the-wheel reporters cranked out of j-schools should think about going into ad-copy writing, public relations, and broadcasting, if they want to make a reasonable living. Sorry, but that train is headed your way."

 

Apparently this guy never dealt with the federal government's bid process.

 

Why is it done this way in newspapers? You mean, why is it done this way in any business? Because the workers can't fire the bosses. To quote from Blazing Saddles, "We've got to protect our phony-baloney jobs, gentlemen!"

 

I love the fact that a piece on redundancy includes the phrase "exact same" in the subhead.

 

Example of what's wrong with coverage. Suburban paper in my area features the NBA team with a large photo. Gamer and photo are AP. Completely useless when high school and college sports, like baseball and softball, are neglected. If a suburban paper thinks that a team is worth featuring on the sports front every game, then send your own guy 40 miles cover it. That's what Dvorak is hitting on with his column.

 

Copy editor's fault, of course.

 

Hmmm. A 700-page report is released yesterday and a commentator manages to read all of it and file expert analysis the same day. That's part of what's wrong with journalism today, too.

And PC Mag is not a completely shoddy operation. When it comes to reviewing something like an iPod, PC Mag will not only try the thing out but send it to the lab to see if battery life matches the manufacturer's claim. This guy, however, mentions a report in his lead that he clearly hasn't read and offers commentary that contains nothing that hasn't been said dozens of times on this board. "Crap factor" and "redundancy" indeed. He may "get it," but he didn't do his homework and because of that he says nothing new. Unintentionally he provides a great example of taking shortcuts and producing nothing worth paying for.

 

But when the buggy whip maker is being put out of business by the horseless carriage, is the best strategy for survival to try and make the best buggy whip?

 

Except for this: People talk about local sports, but are much more likely to be involved in rooting for a pro team, or the bigger colleges in the state. We do local stuff out the ear, and people just can't be bothered to show up. You skip even the Detroit Lions, and the bitching begins forthwith.

 

The best strategy would be to try to convert the buggy whip maker to an auto parts maker. The problem is, rather than convert all the employees to this, the buggy whip company is cutting jobs, forcing the workers to make more buggy whips, and giving them less time to learn about making auto parts.