Whats at risk for journalism in this sad new Times strategy, and why is Sulzberger pursuing it?
The risk should be clear to anyone needing good reporting: News organizations that compete only for market share learn that sensationalism and subtle titillation sell best. So they tweak the news to bypass your brain and go for your viscera on their way to your wallet. As they grope you to keep you reading or watching, they scramble your and others thinking about news and with it, public discussion. That leaves the republics immune system more vulnerable to anti-republican agendas and impulses and to demagoguery — like Kristols early and sustained war-mongering on Fox. A serious study cited last year by Paul Krugman found late in 2003 that 80 percent of those who relied mainly on Fox for news believed that clear evidence had been found linking Iraq and Al Qaeda; that WMD had been found in Iraq; and that world public opinion had favored Bushs war. Only 23 percent of PBS and NPR audiences believed those untrue things. Anyone who’s watched Kristol knows he promoted these untruths doggedl
