Quote:
Originally Posted by GA Russell
As a simple example (and I don't want to start an argument about this), a Gallup poll of a couple of months ago found that only ca. 22% of Americans consider themselves liberals, yet nearly all metro daily newspapers are liberal. This is not to pass judgment on the newspapers themselves - only to say that there are not enough liberals to keep them afloat. That won't change just because paper and fuel costs are eliminated.
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I'm not sure how that's relevant, myself: Papers sell to whomever's buying (and frankly, I'd challenge that "nearly all metro dailies are liberal" line, but you're right, let's not stray). Same thing goes for magazines, and for that matter, literature: If they want to stay in business, they'll figure out who their market is and sell to them. (Besides, 22% liberals in America is still a
lot of people.)
Anyway, the beauty of the e-market is that it changes the economics. With some concerted effort, certain viewpoints may discover that they can reach a larger market through digital distribution, creating a greater variety of content for all.
But even that won't help if the material is presented so badly that no one wants to read it. Newspapers and magazines are optimized for their delivery system. Web and e-news and zines need to do the same thing.