Monday, March 31, 2008

Newspaper ad revenues see biggest plunge in 50 years

Editor and Publisher reports that newspaper ad revenues have plunged to their lowest point in 50 years.

Here's a clue for newspapers ... stop alienating your readers!

Stop calling campaign volunteers in the community names such as "snakes" and ridiculing them for participating in the political process as was the case with the Staunton News Leader after last year's Sayre-Hanger race.

When meeting with folks from the community, don't turn around and write a gossipy column about the encounter such as J. Todd Foster did in the Bristol Herald-Courier.

Stop using pettiness in expressing your disapproval of public officials such as the Staunton News Leader has done with Ben Cline, Bob Goodlatte, Jerry Kilgore, and others.

This is commonly known as biting the hand that feeds you ... and the down-tick of ad revenue numbers proves it.

Maybe newspapers should get out of the business of propaganda and back into the business of unbiased news reporting ... fair and balanced would be nice. Perhaps they would find their businesses more in the black....

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