[ExI] a business model for print medium news

spike spike66 at att.net
Sat Sep 20 01:07:14 UTC 2008


 
I had an idea while reading the Palo Alto Daily News today.  This is a free
paper, so all of its revenue comes from ad sales.  I used to get the Palo
Alto Daily to look at the cars for sale ads.  Today I noticed there was
exactly one car for sale ad.  This ad business has been taken by eBay and
CraigsList.  Clearly the print medium has become yesterday's news in hard
copy, and the entire business model is shaky, but I had an idea.

If one reads most print medium news, one is struck by the point of view.
Consider the example of home prices.  When they were going up quickly, the
headlines said "Home prices soar out of reach of middle class." But now when
those prices are coming back down, the headline is "Home values crumbling."
So when they go up, they are costs, but when they come down they are values.
Any time the price changes, there are winners and there are losers,
depending on whether you have no house and need to buy one (prices), or have
a house and need to sell one (values).  But the papers have printed both
stories from the point of view of the loser.

Another example is taxes.  I have seen absurdities in the print media such
as "...tax cut will cost Americans bla bla billion..." when of course just
the opposite is true.  Tax cuts don't cost, they save.

Another example, early this week I took a ferocious spanking in the stock
market, but yesterday and today it came all the way back.  When it was
plummeting, the news showed brokers in dispair and today the brokers elated.

How many examples can you find of news media, especially print, that present
news negatively if possible?  The news media will switch sides if necessary
in order to publish news from the point of view of the loser.  Perhaps news
media believe dogma that bad news sells, and alarming news sells even
better.  But has anyone tried the reverse recently?  Since there are so many
print news media outlets doing the same thing, do the reverse and write all
news stories from the point of view of the winner.

It would strike people as strange and wonderfully different: pictures of
short sellers rejoicing over the stock collapse for instance, positive
stories on *all* of the political candidates, the positive side of every
news story, even storms and other disasters.  Example headlines:

Compared to 1900 Galveston hurricane, fatalities down 99%

Ninety-four US senators not under ethics investigation

Contrary to popular belief, US is not in recession

US nominal GDP up for 75th consecutive year

Several new Hollywood movies this year do not suck

Congress approval rating increases by huge margin (15% up to 17%)

Gold buyers last year make tons of money

Most high schoolers eventually graduate

Steroids really do make us stronger, faster, better

and so forth.  

spike




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