Let me answer by saying that I used to read Salon daily. It had some of the sharpest, best writing around. Then it started to charge for content, similar to what the Times is doing. Long story short I rarely go to Salon any more. My point? A good way to decrease readership and deter potential readers is to make this move.
How inane is the Times' decisions?
Let me list just four ways, with the help of Jay Rosen’s consistently excellent PressThink:
1)This is a good way to guarantee future generations of potential Times readers will instead choose other news sources.
2)The change is going to make people assess whether the opinions expressed by the Times columnists are really worth that much more than other sources. And I think in many cases the Times is going to be found wanting.
3)This makes the Times come off as more elitist, not exactly the direction the Times – already stereotyped as too white and upperclass – should be moving.
4) The Times is totally dismissing what I call the blog factor, since bloggers – not to mention this site – will have trouble linking readers to Times columnists. For an excellent in-depth look at that topic read this piece by chez Nadezhda
Feel free to add - in the responses below - to this list.
All newspapers – especially The New York Times – can learn a great deal about how to adjust to the Internet from The Washington Post.
Let’s hope they are paying attention and get their heads out of the sand.
Class dismissed.
Until next time,
I remain your intrepid media observer & analyst
Scott Butki
ed/pub:NB
Article comments
1 - Scott Butki
I probably won't write another media analysis piece until next weekend since I have a physics test tomorrow and other major school assignments this week.
2 - Jim Lamb
... and now we know why the media dinosaurs died:
They failed to adapt.
Good job!
3 - Scott Butki
Thanks, Jim.
I was tempted to call it "Adapt or Die!" but that seemed a tad extreme.
Or is it?
Do others here plan to read Times Select?
What would you add to my list above?
4 - Temple Stark
A discussion of two things two newspapers are doing does not a class make.
No mention of the Wall Street Journal?
Or online subscriptions?
5 - Scott Butki
You can always drop this class and take another if you don't like my syllabus or teaching style.
I was also concerned about making the "lessons" too long. But I'll try to touch on those as time allows.
Remember in addition to "teaching" this one I'm taking six classes at the moment, most of them to learn how to truly teach at elementary school
6 - Scott Butki
Is it just me or is it a bit weird to read a NYTimes piece - albeit a column - analyzing the Times "success" so far with TimesSelect?
Of course the column today by
Joseph Nocera is behind the Times wall so you can't read it.
7 - Scott Butki
More on the Times vs Post comparison here
8 - Scott Butki
Another misstep this week... this time by the post
Details to follow
9 - Scott Butki
The Times says it's too early to say if the TimesSelect experiment is working.
10 - chantal stone
they need to hurry up and figure it out....i'm paying $7 a month just to read a few columns......ahh the cost of convenience.
11 - Steve
I've always thought people should have the option of buying the particular sections of the newspaper they like. Here in Toronto, the newspapers have so many sections, the vast majority of which I don't read. Such an incredible waste of so much paper!!
12 - Scott Butki
Hooray The Times Select is going away