Paper or Plastic: The Newspaper Crisis

I prefer paper when it comes to news. Most folks under thirty choose internet news. Who can blame them? First and foremost, it's free. It reduces paper usage big time and is therefore green. And news hits online before coming out in print, so online junkies are often the first to receive breaking news.

Newspaper are going broke. The business model of newspaper is dying a quick, merciless death. Advertising revenue is down. Readership is down. Newspaper efforts to generate revenue online have failed.

I lament the loss of newspapers because the quality of American journalism is high. Once papers are gone, we won't find a substitute news source with anywhere near the professionalism of the print media. Voices like Limbaugh's will gain even greater traction and this is the last thing our democracy needs.

Television can't fill the void, and online news sources fall far short of the content available through the press. Where does that leave us? Nowhere good. Collectively, we will be rely on less data, and worse data, in forming opinions about important matters of public policy.

We will be too easily fooled and that's the real problem.

Too bad we've gotten so accustomed to expecting everything for free on the internet. Despite its many blessings, constant online access has its downsides and the suffocation of the newspaper industry heads the list.

How to stem this tide? Congress is considering legislation which would allow newspapers to become non-profit corporations and thereby receive more favorable tax treatment. The reduction of their taxes may allow them to remain afloat but that step would come at a large cost: non-profits are not allowed to make recommendations about elections. So much for freedom of the press.

Without a major change in consumer spending patterns, newspapers are done. I can't help but wonder, though, why newspapers are less deserving of Congressional bailouts than, say, AIG or GM or Bank of America. So write your congressman today and recommend that the newspapers get some of that bailout money. Save the fourth estate. The quality of our democracy depends on it.

Blogger's Block or What?

Blogger's block, the e-equivalent of writer's block, seems to have struck me. Thinking I had at least created a clever new phrase, I checked online and was disappointed to see that the term "blogger's block" is far from original. Sigh.

It's easy to find reasons to avoid writing a new blog post. Let's see, there's my day job, my music activities, the economy, chores around the house, social engagements, stuff I need to read, a movie I want to watch, a workout that's long overdue, family members I haven't called in a while, our dog Petey wants and deserves my attention, ditto times 100 for my lovely, patient wife, a car that needs washing, and so on. In short, plenty of other things interfere with my commitment to Americana Dan.

When I started this blog, I was a reliable weekly blogger. I've become spotty. Could be it's time for a renewal of my blogging vows. But I hate to make a promise I won't keep.

Maybe I could use some blog counseling. Or try to get Americana Dan to agree that we should start seeing other people. Or something like that.

After giving it some thought, I've decided that all I need is a minor attitude adjustment. No sense feeling guilty if I don't post anything for a week or two, right? Why shouldn't I feel ok about posting when the urge strikes but not otherwise? If anybody out there thinks this is a bad idea, please let me know. I'm reaching out to you, my beloved readers, with an open mind, actively soliciting your input. More than anything, I don't want to let you down. I've got a feeling I won't, and trusting that if I do, you will let me know.