Looking towards the second quarter of 2008, the state of the news media is not strong, at least not according to the Project for Excellence in Journalism. Key
point: the media's agenda is narrowing, not broadening, as many had expected, because of the empowerment of bloggers. Network TV news viewership is at its
lowest since 1999 and
US News & World Report, Time, and
Newsweek all lost ad pages from 2007. Yet the
Inquirer calls it a win for old media.
In focus: Ups and downs at Tribune
Tribune Co. owner Sam Zell had reportedly taken the potty mouth down a notch, but that that was before he saw the company's $78 million fourth-quarter loss, which could mean the sale of some newspapers. The bright side is that a Chicago Tribune intern won the Chicago Sun-Times “Zell No!” video contest mocking Zell's threats to let the highest bidder rename Wrigley Field.
Also:
PageSix.com calls it quits after three months online.
Former Metro publisher files $100 million racketeering suit against the free paper.
Journal: PR people make more money than journalists (shocker!).
Lynndie England blames the media for Abu Gharib.