I don’t take money from advertisers for things I write. Nobody has ever paid for my opinion. To be forthright – It would probably be a bad investment because it changes so often. Still, at every turn a great many people suspect that I get cash for some of the stuff I blog in a favorable light because they’re superficial bastards. And they struggle to imagine the concept that personal expression on the Internet is far more important than profit.
Don’t get me wrong, I write nice things about the people I like and don’t feel the need to disclose any of my relationships online. The practice of confessing on the Internet is something best left to housewives and other unproductive people.
Nevertheless, because media is no longer constricted to a physical form and nobody wants to pay for content anymore . . . The future of anyone who wants to get seriously paid for what they write is to sell their soul for the privilege.
Maybe it’s not that bleak. Only a dimwit or a newspaper ombudsman would contend that there hasn’t always been a complex and mostly unequal relationship between traditional media and advertisers. The Golden Rule always applies: the people with the gold make the rules.
Here’s my contention: Media watchers are completely undeserving of disclosure as to how content is delivered to them given that fact that they don’t want to pay for its online ubiquity. It’s an idea that’s based on expediency and given the fact that this nation was founded on doing things the easy way rather than obeying laws, treaties or keeping promises – I think history is on my side. Those who question my thesis regarding the establishment of the American Empire through a systematic devotion to expediency above all are welcomed to ask the last remaining Native Americans if I’m wrong. Supposing there are any to be found nearby.
This media theory of expediency speaks to a question of ethics among content publishers in the digital age. While it’s laughable to look for high ideals beyond close friends and family, I’ll entertain the notion. I don’t take money for my opinion but there are probably those who don’t believe that statement (for shame!). Here’s the deal: I don’t care. The Long Tail Internet Theory tells us that there’s a niche for every kind of content in the digital era. Audiences come cheaper than ever nowadays and the smarter internet players are finding out that the ability to “monetize” a crowd is mainly dependent on nothing more than salesmanship and macro economic factors. That has more to do with the U.S. fighting an endless war in Afghanistan than the quality or perception of any media outlet. Just like the old days, the cutthroat media business will leave most people behind and only a few players will survive and prosper. Meanwhile content disseminated online will become more segmented, customized and much less profitable. Also, I usually attract a much bigger crowd for putting my thumb in the eye of Kansas City than I ever did for reporting stuff accurately.
As for concerns regarding credibility and quality of the news and content we can find online. Just like in the era of traditional media, the masses will settle with the offerings they find least objectionable. Clueless idealists who dream of an impractical world where money doesn’t influence the content which it sponsors might still struggle to accurately find any real world example of their high minded (and completely misinformed) ideas. Meanwhile, most people on the Internet are far more interested in piano playing cats.
CLM
So I guess the point of this post is to say that if we don’t want to pay for local news content, we get stuck with hacks like Tony on a gossip blog who have flexible journalistic standards and rely on pictures of strippers (and photos stolen from other websites) to attract stupid, lazy viewers?
I completely agree. This blog proves it.
smartman
You’ve been wrong about a lot of stuff BO-TAY-YO but you’ve got this ass backwards. Idealogy rues the day in big time media. Not money. No amount of money spent say at MSNBC is gonna make them love Sarah Palin or Bush 43 on the content side. Glen Beck ain’t gonna fall in love with Cass Sunstein overnight. People consume media that tells them what they want to hear and confirms their beliefs and opinions. Nobody can handle the truth or what passes for it these days. You can’t buy any real serious good pub unless you’re synpatico with the dogma. The fact that you can’t knock down $100K a year from TKC is your fault.
bucho
This is good stuff. A more honest look at media than I’ve seen before.
Johnny Utah
this item has the tone that the new media is bad. it’s the contrary. 40 years ago there were few outlets, and the ny times and walter cronite were just as biased.
the new media, led by digital, is better than ever. people should never now or then get their news from one source. the new media is making news consumers smarter and more well-rounded, if they want to be. if not, they can keep watching katie couric and watch people get hit in the nuts on youtube.
I’m glad tony says he won’t be bought, but the savvy consumer will hold him to that on a daily basis. Prove it. every post.
And I call bullshit
So you say your not for sale, but you are, and either way you aren’t obliged to disclose if if you have a financial interest in the success of, say, Jardines, and F=you, douchebag reader.
Glad we got that settled.
boycott it
Come on people, Please, if you would just ignore it, it would go away.
The more you respond, the more it will post. Just boycott it,,,,and kaput. Trolls dont care what you write in response, as long as do.
Trolls ONLY post inciting articles to get you to bash back. If you stop, so will they.
C
Tony and Hearne have sure been spending an inordinate amount of time interviewing each other, blogging about each other, and defending each other. Amazing ‘news’ and gossip. It’s a regular little circle jerk.
Disappointed at where this site has headed as of late….and when I thought it couldn’t go down (no homo!) any further, it does.
Great site
This is a great site, it is getting better, but if we dont yell at whatshisname, then he might not get it.
hearne is great, and getting better. This site will grow and adjust and keep getting better.
likey
Nice bit of media criticism Tony.
jojo
one thing i know about tony…next to
mangino he’s the fattest guy i’ve seen on
this blog.
Hearne and tony are media whores. They just
can’t admit they are considered “trash” to other
journalists in all other media.
Tony writes about food/hookers/whores/etc.
Hearne writes about the same.
smartman
Wow jojo, you didn’t get exiled for negative comments. You got bitch slapped for picking on Roger the Plumber though.