what we don’t know, we fall prey to
the big empty is proud to prove that
“You will be writing about a subject you know less about, than the people who you are writing about. You will be relying on those people who are the news you are cover, to explain it to you. And you will then have to write about it.”
This was stated in one of my stints in college, a professor made the statement. I wished I would have written it down because I can only paraphrase it now. It was a journalism class and the prof was stating what should be obvious to every news person. I feel it resonated with me more than my classmates because they were in their late teens and early 20’s. I was 33.
Because the younger you are, the less you understand it. This is because the more knowledge you gain in life - it should serve as a lesson of how little you do know.
Just because a journalist is the one presenting the facts, s/he should always keep in mind they are not the expert. And while the purveyor of information, they should never step into the quagmire of being THE expert... the know-it-all.
The one thing I feel is lost in most small-town newspapers is a lack of understanding of this. The Adirondack Daily Enterprise is the perfect example.
Right now the emptyprize (the big empty) is showing all the signs of failure. The biggest sign is their ignorance. They appear to not notice their failures because they believe they are experts.
They are the know-it-alls.
Don’t believe me, ask yourself: “in your community is the most important news — front page news — where the editor’s next speaking event is?”
Anyone who points out how they are wrong --> gets ignored. Or worse. They are denied any opportunity to voice the ability to critique them. They don’t respond to letters. They don’t respond to emails. And if one posts on their social media, you will be blocked.
Worse, they only accept criticism in the way of finances. They are now so dependent on advertising that is only one way to get their attention. There was a time when circulation had some importance to newspapers. And newspapers did not run from a readership but embraced it.
Sadly... they have found a way to ignore anyone who points out their failures.
It is important to accept, my or anyone’s criticism of the big empty may not be right. In fact, it could be completely wrong. Suggesting they are relying on their own perceived thought that they are right... could be wrong.
But being right and hiding from criticism is a weakness they can only continue to run from. If not defended, they will be wrong more times than not when they refuse to accept critiques. the big empty can not be an important supplier of facts when you don’t read the writing on the wall. Or the comments in their feed.
The bottom line is, if you defend yourself from people pointing out your weaknesses; of how you are wrong; and that you are going in the wrong direction with censorship ----> then you are an unverified fraud.
When the big empty purports to know all, they show how little they understand. And when they purpose to know more than their readers, they miss what is before their noses.
In the end, their failure will be the communities loss. But a newspaper that is 90% national news will not compete with the internet…. or even a national newspaper. A newspaper that doesn’t value its community calendar for accuracy, will be lost in its own complacency.
If that is who they are now, they are already nobody.
If front page ‘news’ is when they boast of one of their employees speaking engagement then clearly that self-importance shows how little they know, but are glad to show that deficiency.
And without question.
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The difference is a column
In columns, you find a workaround... you go with your heart. You go with what you know. Most importantly, you have (HAVE) to be honest. In that, you can write about what you don’t know and question everything. If you are honest, a reporter makes it clear what confounds them, but what we all know.
Sadly, the big empty has many columns. Nice safe cute anecdote columns. If only they had some heart to see what we all know.
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the future - - > when you are the source, you have no source
