— Musings —01.05.2013 10:45 AM
Reasons why newspapers are like dinosaurs: a continuing series (updated twice)
Check this out. Read it where this guy says I claimed my web site would become “dominant.”
Problem: I didn’t say that. I was linking to the CBC’s web site, which has no paywall. Here’s the original posting.
(I love his snotty use of “sic,” too. Nice fellow. UPDATE: he’s removed the “sic,” but he still hasn’t admitted his error.)
Who made this error, which is a pretty big one? The Editor-in-Chief of the Hamilton Spectator, that’s who. The entirety of his column is defeated by his rookie error, in fact.
I therefore amend my original thesis: it isn’t just paywalls that will kill off many newspapers.
Sloppiness will, as well.
Oh, and Mr. Editor-in-Chief guy? It’s a web site, not a “blog.”
You got that wrong, too.
(Post script: I’ve emailed him seeking a correction. Anyone think it’ll never happen? That, too, is a trait of most newspapers.)
UPDATED AGAIN: A generous apology, accepted:
Correction in progress. Forgive me. Also, “sic” was inserted by a copy editor and removed when I saw it. Unfortunately, I did not understand my error until I saw your post now.
Paul Berton
Editor in Chief
The Hamilton Spectator / thespec.com
905.526.3482
Pberton@thespec.com
Hahaha. Walking Irish Bar Fight? Remind me not to mess with you if I’m ever tempted.
Sloppy indeed. But not at all surprising.
In the past year, I have pretty much abandoned the G&M, Torstar and Ottawa Shitizen sites. But not because of the ridiculous paywalls. It has been the über poor quality and blatantly biased articles that have driven me away.
I now get the bulk of my news from sites like this one, Huff Post, CBC and Twitter. And I would even shell out a few shekels to access the well-researched, written and sourced info on these sites.
The others can suffer the same fates as the dinosaurs, for all I care!
Ditto. Plus I add The Tyee and The Guardian.
When MSM’s “Margaret Wente” standards are not only entrenched, employed & defended …… a reader pretty much has to go elsewhere to maintain any semblance of personal integrity. Corporate MSM is busy making itself “Ezra Irrelevant”.
With many MSM outlets acting as an extension of the CPC’s PR department, and Conservative trolls astroturfing MSM comment boards with the approved “spin-of-the-day”, sensible people everywhere are abandoning these sites in droves. Interesting watching the trolls follow because they have no one other than themselves to “play” with anymore when pushing their partisan propaganda.
I suspect that’s why regulars on this site are witnessing an increase in frequency & aggressiveness of Conservative trolls spinning for their supper, here.
Most web newspaper articles are aggravating, so a paywall will be the medicine that will stop the aggravation. Life will become so much more pleasant watching youtube and porn.
Well, he’s made one correction, it seems. “Sic” no longer appears in his piece.
A correction for Warren… a Blog is a Website. If it ain’t on the web, it ain’t a Blog. 🙂
“Blog”: a morpheme originating from “web log”. Commonly referred to as a website used primarily as (among other things) a personal diary, a daily pulpit, a political soapbox, a place to share one’s private thoughts with anyone in the world who chooses to drop by and read them.
I find this WARRENKINSELLA.COM Web Site and corresponding commentary most informative, insightful and REAL News Worthy, which I like to supplement with :
http://www.vancouverobserver.com/
http://www.straight.com/blogra …
http://www.canadashistory.ca/Magazine.aspx
http://thewalrus.ca/
… and enlightened porno !!
I don’t know how this could have happened, but I Forgot One Of My Most Important News Sources … That Of Course Being MISTER D. :
Canada’s FAVOURITE TEACHER IS BACK … MISTER D IS AWESOMEness Personified !!
http://www.cbc.ca/mrd/
I would like to see you in your Barney costume again …
W,
I have sent numerous correspondence over twenty years offering to edit the ‘Hamilton Shit-you-later’ daily without remuneration…and have received no reply at all.
We use to hand out high-liters in grade 7 grammar class and correct it.
When we smoked weed in high-school and didn’t have papers we once tried to use a 4×6 square of ‘The Spec’ to roll a giant doobie….wouldn’t even fucking burn!
So, don’t feel bad.
D.