After the nya-nyas
: Brian Linse thinks the blog discussion of the fall of Howell Raines has been as thin and unsatisfying as melted decaf iced coffee.
He’s right. Most are so busy doing the boogaloo on Raines’ grave that they are not taking a serious look at the serious impact of a crisis of leadership at what can be seen as the single most important outlet for news in the world (considering, as Linse points out, that every other major news organization follows the Times’ lead).
I’ve said before that I worry less about the impact on the Times — there’ll always be a Times — and more about other outlets, which will become safer and thus duller and thus less read and thus less important. Perhaps that’s part of the reason the grave-dancers are doing that cha-cha; they think that if the big news outlets are diminished, they are enhanced. But that’s wrong; the competitor in the news business isn’t other news, it’s other, more fun things to watch and do. And if one big purveyor of news suffers in credibility or compelling interest, all news suffers. In this pond, falling water grounds all boats.
: UPDATE: Glenn Reynolds answers the call with specific and constructive suggestions for improving journalism, PR (post Raines). He also tweaks Brian Linse (above) in the comments (below).
: Dan Gillmor says blogs have been taking “WAY” too much credit for the fall of Raines.
