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February 13, 2012
Binyamin Rose: Back to the Bunker: How a life-risking act by a Christian family during the Holocaust saved a family and built a thriving community a world away
Menachem Wecker: Business Schools Teach Real Estate Despite Troubled Housing Market
February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
Feb. 26, 2009
/ 2 Adar 5769
Cutting Off Your News To Spite Your Face
By
Debra J. Saunders
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
A couple of years ago, when speaking to a local group, I mentioned that
The Chronicle was losing money. A couple in the back of the room rudely
applauded. How thrilled those two must have felt when if they
learned of San Francisco Chronicle Publisher Frank Vega's announcement
Tuesday that the Hearst Corp. will implement "significant" workforce
cuts. If the cuts don't pay off, then the Hearst Corp. will "offer the
newspaper for sale or close it altogether."
Bloggers and e-mailers are crowing. If The Chronicle is shuttered,
they'll be dancing a jig. Many conservatives feel a warm glow at the
possible demise of an institution that they believe to be failing
because of liberal bias. On the far left, that same glow will satisfy
those who think newspapers are not liberal enough.
As for those who only read their news online, here's a news flash: News
stories do not sprout up like Jack's beanstalk on the Internet. To
produce news, you need professionals who understand the standards needed
to research, report and write on what happened. If newspapers die,
reliable information dries up.
Reduced ad revenue and falling newspaper circulation mean that there
will be fewer people to cover the same number of stories. In the middle
of an economic crisis and President Obama's federal spending bonanza,
there will be fewer watchdogs to guard the shop.
So, to those of you who argue that the demise of liberal newspapers (The
Chronicle in particular) is deserved, I offer a caveat: Be careful what
you wish for.
Remember the ugly consequences of San Francisco's sanctuary city policy
for juvenile offenders, who were sent abroad instead of to jail? Or
Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums failure to tackle crime in Oaktown? Or reports
on corporate bonuses for execs at bailed-out banks? Imagine that those
things happened, but there was no journalist to investigate and report.
I wonder who will be around in five years to cover stories. Or what talk
radio will talk about when hosts can't just siphon from carefully
researched stories because they never were written.
Newspapers are the public's referees as to which information is
credible. You can go online and read no end of fiction and smear about
public figures. But when you read content in a newspaper, you
consistently can rely on it.
As every conservative pundit knows, there is a special credibility that
comes with being able to say, "as the New York Times reported," or "as
the Washington Post reported." Even "as The Chronicle reported."
One of the great American pursuits in my lifetime has been to trash the
local paper. It is a healthy, cathartic exercise and, at times,
practiced in this column.
But at some point in recent years and publishers' decisions to post
material online at no charge no doubt contributed this very American
pastime devolved from spirited criticism to foolhardy prickliness. News
consumers somehow moved from thinking their paper let them down to
thinking that their paper was not worthy of them.
Despite all the solid stories, and all the reliable information, and all
the articles that tell you something you did not know and all the
opinion pieces that made you stop and think, a growing number of people
have decided that it is more important for their news to be pure than it
is for the public to be informed.
And I hear this from people who say they care about news. They look to
the site-rich Internet for salvation, unaware that the decline of
newspapers means that those shiny new websites are linking to fewer real
news stories. What looks like more choice isn't. It's more doors leading
to fewer rooms.
When a newspaper dies, you don't get a comprehensive periodical to fill
the void. You get an informational vacant lot into which passersby can
throw their junk.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
Comment JWR contributor Debra J. Saunders's column by clicking here.
Debra J. Saunders Archives
© 2009, Creators Syndicate
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