" I have seen chaos and confusion, certainly, but no evidence of cat-stroking conspiracy, of evil attempts to manipulate things" Maybe you haven't heard of your boss Murdoch and maybe you haven't heard about Milly Dowler? Maybe you haven't read about why News of the World had to close. Maybe you haven't followed the close relationships between Murdoch and the various PM's. Maybe you have no idea why nobody buys The Sun in Liverpool. Maybe you are hoping that American readers are bigger fools than British readers.
11
Lawyers, the very people who defend journalists, are soulless? Attorneys put themselves on the line for the rights of their clients every day. Sure, are corporate hacks. But what percentage of journalists are reporting the news and what percentage are hacking celebrity phones?
Much of what attorneys defend against is what Fleet Street managed on daily basis - workplace discrimination and harassment.
The death of the misogynist inbreeding of Fleet Street is not to be lamented. If journalism is to survive, and to have a free society, it must, it needs to reject rather than romanticize its ugly past and dedicate itself to covering stories that matter. Oh, and dump the topless women photos. That's not soul, that sleaze.
Much of what attorneys defend against is what Fleet Street managed on daily basis - workplace discrimination and harassment.
The death of the misogynist inbreeding of Fleet Street is not to be lamented. If journalism is to survive, and to have a free society, it must, it needs to reject rather than romanticize its ugly past and dedicate itself to covering stories that matter. Oh, and dump the topless women photos. That's not soul, that sleaze.
A problem with the demise of print media is that the avid market for scandal, disaster news and celeb tid-bits, along with the classifieds and retail advertising paid for the in depth reporting, the foreign news bureaus, the lengthy, complex investigative pieces. Few if any internet sites can support that kind of journalistic infrastructure. Classifieds are dead thanks to Craigslist. CNN has taken over round the clock coverage of the disaster du jour. As for retail, why should, say, Barnes & Noble pay for print when their ads hit my inbox daily, for free? The internet teams with scandal vultures and is littered with their carrion. It seems the only resort for those of sufficient intelligence to want serious. in depth news is to pay for it, as we do with the NY Times. I doubt there are enough of us to carry the freight forever. Thus the rising tide of idiocracy that has given us the loathsome Trump. There was a time when ONE incredibly stupid, well reported remark could cost an election (see "rum, ruin and Romanism") Now it seems the more such remarks, the better. On the other hand, the "yellow press" was largely responsible for the Spanish-American War, the suppression of marijuana and many other sins of carefully cultivated, profit driven hysteria. In fact we have yet to invent a truly "fair and balanced" news source. The responsibility for discovering truth rests with the consumer and many - perhaps most - haven't the skills for the task.
3
Digital news reports are so much more effective. They can be updated as needed as things develop and they can contain links to important components of the event in question. Also, as you are online you can open a new tab and search a point that interests you. You cannot do that nearly as well, if at all, with a paper document.
2
Rupert Murdoch never wanted to manipulate anything? Ger off it, mate! As for the troubles of Brit rags, maybe a "proud" history of mischief making and scurrility have something to do with it.
9
"Newspapers do not fit the internet age in part because the web cannibalizes their content so ruthlessly."
There is a reason why many of us go to the web sites of major papers first. They provide the well collected, well edited first look at what the rest of the web will cannibalize tomorrow. Then tomorrow they will do it again, while the rest of the web is devouring and regurgiating what they did yesterday.
Then again, both collection and editing seem to be in decline, victims of cost cutting. That removes from those sites the one thing that gave them advantage, leaving them as just more-expensive versions of their cheaper competition.
To revive a paper, revive the quality that can put it ahead of the web's cannibal behavior. Let the rest of the web tear at what the paper did yesterday.
Get further ahead if possible. That could involve things like a series of articles by someone present at events and well informed. There are still a few reporters like that, and more could be developed and encouraged.
It is a matter of comparative advantage. Newspapers have cut costs by giving up their own special advantages, to compete on even terms with the cannibals. They can only lose doing that.
There is a reason why many of us go to the web sites of major papers first. They provide the well collected, well edited first look at what the rest of the web will cannibalize tomorrow. Then tomorrow they will do it again, while the rest of the web is devouring and regurgiating what they did yesterday.
Then again, both collection and editing seem to be in decline, victims of cost cutting. That removes from those sites the one thing that gave them advantage, leaving them as just more-expensive versions of their cheaper competition.
To revive a paper, revive the quality that can put it ahead of the web's cannibal behavior. Let the rest of the web tear at what the paper did yesterday.
Get further ahead if possible. That could involve things like a series of articles by someone present at events and well informed. There are still a few reporters like that, and more could be developed and encouraged.
It is a matter of comparative advantage. Newspapers have cut costs by giving up their own special advantages, to compete on even terms with the cannibals. They can only lose doing that.
3
Fleet Street was not the paper printed there, nor the place itself.
It was the flow of information and ideas. It was the freedom to express those. That did not exist on most of the Continent when Fleet Street was printing paper at that location.
Now the information and ideas flow electronically more than in print. They flow from many more locations. However, Britain still has that free flow, mostly.
Authorities busted up the hard drives of the Guardian to stop it spreading information. Assange is in hiding, Wikileaks is an official enemy, and Snowden is not welcome. Britain was more free before, but the loss is not on Fleet Street itself. It is in the minds of those who govern Britain, who do not value in the same way what their grandfathers valued.
It was the flow of information and ideas. It was the freedom to express those. That did not exist on most of the Continent when Fleet Street was printing paper at that location.
Now the information and ideas flow electronically more than in print. They flow from many more locations. However, Britain still has that free flow, mostly.
Authorities busted up the hard drives of the Guardian to stop it spreading information. Assange is in hiding, Wikileaks is an official enemy, and Snowden is not welcome. Britain was more free before, but the loss is not on Fleet Street itself. It is in the minds of those who govern Britain, who do not value in the same way what their grandfathers valued.
1
There must be a reason why the NY Times had been valued, several years ago, at five-to-six times that of the Washington Post. And yet, Jeff Bezos, the entrepreneur behind Amazon bought WaPo. Was the price too low to pass-up, or might Mr. Bezos see some value in the proverbial fish wrapper.
More and m0re, the real value in publishing seems to be in those specialized periodicals, which are quite expensive, but they carter to a specific audience, providing information on--ag futures information, energy news, climatology, etc. Also, more and more, most of the hard reporting comes from a wire service--AP, NYT, WaPo, Dow Jones, etc.
Perhaps we no longer need those newspapers in every city anymore.
More and m0re, the real value in publishing seems to be in those specialized periodicals, which are quite expensive, but they carter to a specific audience, providing information on--ag futures information, energy news, climatology, etc. Also, more and more, most of the hard reporting comes from a wire service--AP, NYT, WaPo, Dow Jones, etc.
Perhaps we no longer need those newspapers in every city anymore.
2
British newspapers are opinionated but they offer a range of views. They are also fun to read. The Times is conservative but more centrist than the Telegraph, despite being owned by Rupert Murdoch. It opposed Brexit. The Telegraph is conservative and favored Brexit. The liberal Guardian was against.
2
I am saddened indeed to hear that news in print is soon to be no more - hopefully not anytime soon for there is nothing in life quite as enjoyable as a fine newspaper and a fine cup of coffee. During my seven-year stay in England I loved that I had a choice of so many fine papers - the Guardian remains my favourite. I implore all those who love newspapers to subscribe - journalism done well is worth paying for - I live in Canada, but am a digital subscriber to the NYT.
3
Mr. Corbyn himself surely would have wished you to die of the "good" AIDS.
On some days I commiserate with Stig out of nostalgia for the days when I'd filthy up my hands with a NY Times taking a bus and two trains to work from College Point, Queens, to Wall Street. Of course, it's not SHARED nostalgia, as STIG IS 36 YEARS OLD and couldn't POSSIBLY remember a NY Times whose ink stained clothes if you read it too carelessly on a subway.
On other days I realize that what will survive is not printed word on paper but content. As long as reportage still can be funded and opinion is sharp, there will be a market for them, even if the dominant channel of distribution changes dramatically. But newspapers’ editorial views are no longer so diverse as to sustain many major channels of distribution – these days, it seems that one either believes in “creative destruction” and millions of resulting Oliver Twists, or in unlimited expansion of our entitlements. The middle is rapidly disappearing, and with it … many different editorial perspectives.
As to Britain’s waning variety, this isn’t new, anywhere. In 1914, the U.S. boasted 2,457 dailies and over 16,000 weeklies. (“A Thousand Deadlines: The New York City Press and American Neutrality, 1914–17”, by Kevin O’Keefe.) By 1990, dailies were down to 1,611, and for all the intervening time there was no commercial Internet. First radio then TV news cannibalized the audience. Since then the challenges have become even more complex.
On some days I commiserate with Stig out of nostalgia for the days when I'd filthy up my hands with a NY Times taking a bus and two trains to work from College Point, Queens, to Wall Street. Of course, it's not SHARED nostalgia, as STIG IS 36 YEARS OLD and couldn't POSSIBLY remember a NY Times whose ink stained clothes if you read it too carelessly on a subway.
On other days I realize that what will survive is not printed word on paper but content. As long as reportage still can be funded and opinion is sharp, there will be a market for them, even if the dominant channel of distribution changes dramatically. But newspapers’ editorial views are no longer so diverse as to sustain many major channels of distribution – these days, it seems that one either believes in “creative destruction” and millions of resulting Oliver Twists, or in unlimited expansion of our entitlements. The middle is rapidly disappearing, and with it … many different editorial perspectives.
As to Britain’s waning variety, this isn’t new, anywhere. In 1914, the U.S. boasted 2,457 dailies and over 16,000 weeklies. (“A Thousand Deadlines: The New York City Press and American Neutrality, 1914–17”, by Kevin O’Keefe.) By 1990, dailies were down to 1,611, and for all the intervening time there was no commercial Internet. First radio then TV news cannibalized the audience. Since then the challenges have become even more complex.
2
"Michael Gove, a halibut-faced former columnist at The Times..."
Why is there no hyperlink to a 'halibut-faced' Gove photo here?
Why is there no hyperlink to a 'halibut-faced' Gove photo here?
7
Abell's crude crack is not intended to give an example of piscine physiognomy, but a Google images search will answer your implicit question.
Umm ... the downfall of solid journalism (in America, too) and the rise of Donald Trump? Is there some newsworthy analog in there relating the two? And with all those reporters ousted, who is now making the phone calls?
3
Well, isn't that a coincidence! Cowards, like right-wing propagandists Limbaugh, Beck and Fox News all use the "prerogative of the harlot", power without responsibility, in the digital age, playing to the rabid mob from a cozy spot behind a microphone or camera, for their thirty pieces of silver.
8
@Fred Powledge: I guess villains are always evil — sorry.
1
The decline and death of news print has been predicted far too many times and far in advance of the reality.
In this country, there was so much money flowing to monopoly or near monopoly newspapers that the top layer of reporters had virtual lifetime scholarships once they had paid their dues in the trenches for ten to fifteen years. When the newsprint hit the fan, they rushed to their word processors to spew doom across their own business, in part because they had it so good for so long. They were kings and queens of the media hill and, aside from network news anchors, they ruled the media world and had more than a little influence on the course of the nation (and from there, the world). They woke up one morning with a happiness hangover and didn't know where to turn.
The deal now, surprise, surprise, is that even in the UK, you might have to work hard for your whole career. No more 10 to 20 stories a year. Dig to find news, work extra hard to confirm facts and, yes, turn in well written, cogent news items till you drop over at your desk.
Truth be that many, if not most jobs follow a pattern whereby the young and eager are worked for every last ounce of sweat that can pour out of them and then there is the gradual slowing down in mid-career that can lead, if the person finds a lasting role, to comfortable yrs. coasting. No more.
The Brit papers are national. That gives them both a greater potential to survive and a greater likelihood than half or more will fold.
In this country, there was so much money flowing to monopoly or near monopoly newspapers that the top layer of reporters had virtual lifetime scholarships once they had paid their dues in the trenches for ten to fifteen years. When the newsprint hit the fan, they rushed to their word processors to spew doom across their own business, in part because they had it so good for so long. They were kings and queens of the media hill and, aside from network news anchors, they ruled the media world and had more than a little influence on the course of the nation (and from there, the world). They woke up one morning with a happiness hangover and didn't know where to turn.
The deal now, surprise, surprise, is that even in the UK, you might have to work hard for your whole career. No more 10 to 20 stories a year. Dig to find news, work extra hard to confirm facts and, yes, turn in well written, cogent news items till you drop over at your desk.
Truth be that many, if not most jobs follow a pattern whereby the young and eager are worked for every last ounce of sweat that can pour out of them and then there is the gradual slowing down in mid-career that can lead, if the person finds a lasting role, to comfortable yrs. coasting. No more.
The Brit papers are national. That gives them both a greater potential to survive and a greater likelihood than half or more will fold.
2
Growing up in Scotland, the only fresh things I had to read were my Dad's Daily Express and any Readers' Digests I could scrounge from other peoples' dustbins. Their ridiculous political stances flew right over my 12 year-old head. In college, while we had Lancaster University shut down on some trumped-up grievance, we descended on a Manchester Guardian reporter who was trying to call in his story, prepared to chant until he gave up. He instead gave us his story, which utterly humbled us by its fairness. We gave it back, waited in silence while he called it in, and then took him out for a pint or three at one of the many campus pubs.
I cry when I look at what a pointless mess the Guardian has since turned itself into. Gives me fresh respect for the diminished-but-still-breathing Gray Lady.
I cry when I look at what a pointless mess the Guardian has since turned itself into. Gives me fresh respect for the diminished-but-still-breathing Gray Lady.
4
I agree about The Guardian. It seems to go out of its way to look tabloidish, with this scrunched-up mishmash of lifestyle-oriented garbage. At least this is true of its online edition. In contrast, The New York Times actually looks like a newspaper, with all its content clearly delineated.
I am both horrified and informed by the fact that you think it natural that newspapers express "the mood of the nation," rather than report factual news. It explains so much about how the Times itself seems to have drifted over the past two decades.
Pardon me if I beg to differ. While it is natural that a range of different papers might see the facts of news differently, it is horrifying to think that not one paper is trying to identify truth--an abiding truth that looks past the mood of the moment, or the zeitgeist of the time. It is shameful that Britain's "conservative" papers reported bombast and wishful thinking in the face of actual fact, and that they helped push the nation into Brexit, rather than sounding legitimate warning.
If this is what the Times, too, has come to--please, just close now. Save us the gross sight of The Gray Lady turning into a thermometer for pop fads and national mood swings.
Pardon me if I beg to differ. While it is natural that a range of different papers might see the facts of news differently, it is horrifying to think that not one paper is trying to identify truth--an abiding truth that looks past the mood of the moment, or the zeitgeist of the time. It is shameful that Britain's "conservative" papers reported bombast and wishful thinking in the face of actual fact, and that they helped push the nation into Brexit, rather than sounding legitimate warning.
If this is what the Times, too, has come to--please, just close now. Save us the gross sight of The Gray Lady turning into a thermometer for pop fads and national mood swings.
6
Well, coming out of the nation that exported IMPERIALISM to the rest of the world, Britain it isn't surprising. Seeing how they disenfranchised the people's they invaded, stole land thru tort that local natives didn't understand, and enslaved countless generations to plundering THEIR own natural resources. Their national intelligence, and policing were in their pockets and acted as their agents for establishing the MERCHANT class, while feathering the beds of the aristocracy. So when Faux news hacked into celebrities phones and social media, with police giving a tRumpian look-the-other-way head shake, it is no wonder the voters were duped. But hey, they gave us American Idol; and reality shows that took over scripted and critically written TV; they exported the British Invasion and stole the music industry away from AMERICAN Soul, Jazz, Motown and the BLUES, before we knew what we were signing away...!
2
Speaking on behalf of apparently the only nation ever to have been an imkperial power, may I remind you that — in addition to American Idol — we gave you the coruscating originals of All in the Family (it's about time Johnny Speight was credited here in the U.S.) and House of Cards.
2
I'm afraid the same thing is slowly happening to my beloved New York Times. The coverage now plays to the Time's aging white liberal base to such an extent that I must go to other news services, even Fox, in order to triangulate an idea of what is happening. I think my respect began to waneduring the Times' cheerleading for the Iraq invasion. It seems they were israel's megaphone. Then there was embarrassment of the Times writing a front page expose of the Duke lacrosse scandal after there was clear evidence that the prosecution's story was unraveling. I am a Clinton supporter, but I cringe when I read pieces like today's puff piece on the heroic origen of Hillary Clinton's need to make hundreds of millions of dollars by prostituting her principles. As goes Fleet Street, so goes the Grey Lady.
9
Decades ago , late on a Monday I used to rush to the nearby tea room in Mombasa to get my airmail edition of the Sunday Times
Today I read the online Sunday Times from the comfort of my recliner in California hours before Britons arise from their slumber on a Sunday Morning
That Mr Trump is how the world has changed and automation and innovation are the single biggest reason for the loss of manufacturing jobs throughout the Western world
We need to embrace Globalisation , it is reality . We need to optimize our position , renewable energy, self driving, electric cars are a good place to start, plus building a first class infrastructure.
Promising people a return to the coal age is ridiculous
Today I read the online Sunday Times from the comfort of my recliner in California hours before Britons arise from their slumber on a Sunday Morning
That Mr Trump is how the world has changed and automation and innovation are the single biggest reason for the loss of manufacturing jobs throughout the Western world
We need to embrace Globalisation , it is reality . We need to optimize our position , renewable energy, self driving, electric cars are a good place to start, plus building a first class infrastructure.
Promising people a return to the coal age is ridiculous
3
Yes, the world knows quite well how much the Brits love to be talked about. Is it possible to find a more jingoistic country in the world? Have you seen the Proms?
How about this?
How about if you stopped talking about yourselves for one day? No royalty stuff, no empire stuff, no how great you are stuff............
Please do us a favor and be quiet for at least one day? Please.
How about this?
How about if you stopped talking about yourselves for one day? No royalty stuff, no empire stuff, no how great you are stuff............
Please do us a favor and be quiet for at least one day? Please.
3
'Is it possible to find a more jingoistic country in the world?'
Yes, the USA.
'Please do us a favor and be quiet for at least one day?'
Please do the rest of us a favour and never again write anything on the internet.
Yes, the USA.
'Please do us a favor and be quiet for at least one day?'
Please do the rest of us a favour and never again write anything on the internet.
4
What is wanted from a newspaper? I read in the US ,LATimes, Washington Post, NYT, Sacramento Bee & Austin American Statesman. European pares are Der Spiegel (in German, English version is so vanilla), The Times of London ,& The Guardian. The Guardian is recent, I became very disappointed in The Times. Way too much opinion & little reporting, being on the verge of being a Fox affiliate. For political information I find the Washington Post ,Der Spiegel & the Guardian informative. I find most people I speak to don't take what they read with a grain of salt,or at the least ,unwilling to investigate topics from other sources. All publications whether paper or digital, as with politicians,or for that matter all people, should be analyzed/challenged for their points of view. The British,I wonder,if their desire is for tabloid journalism ,more than most.
1
Oh, one more thing, in as much as no other commenters mentioned The Financial Times I take it on myself to give it a plug. Although now owned by a Japanese Company and at one time thought to be uber right wing I would suggest another glance. Some of their excellent journalists seem down right middle of the road when compared to the Politically biased spin that appears daily in Americas major publications. Not only Gillian Tett, John Authers, Martin Wolfe and in particular Henny Sender on the financial side but the author of the weekly "big read" and the beautiful and varied weekend edition with its many faceted articles on everything from political opinion to gardening to the arts make The F.T. a paper to look forward to every day. I believe their balanced narrative and honesty regarding both the War and the financial crisis have made them almost "verboten" in America and difficult to find in their "pink" paper form. I always look forward to Simon Kuper to take me to places I miss. I only wish that The Times maintained all of its excellent reporters over the years, hopefully after the election they will return to the balanced reporting that made them the paper of record, until then I must hop the pond for news of scoundrels in finance( Phillip Green) or fact based reporting on Ukraine or Clinton( "ethically challenged and in the wrong century" by Victor Hansen). It's great reporters that make a great paper and that is worth any price.
4
Like in Aesop's tale of the fox and the grapes, the author seems to despise what he (and possibly a few other jourrnalists at the New York Times) in reality admire and desire. I mean, I subscribe to both the New York Times and The Financial Times and sometime it's easy to detect how some American correspondents in Europe and Asia (perhaps instigated by a call back by the editors in Ny) passively "follow" the lead of their British colleagues, especially in business coverage. The result is a rather striking contrast between the liberal, lively and thoroughly investigated American stories and some foreign (i.e. non American) stories that resemble those once traded by international reporteers at El Vino bar in Fleet Street.
1
I read the Daily mail every day and often find articles about American politics and news that the American press glosses over or under reports. Part of the Mail's charm is that it allows readers to comment on these articles and other readers may vote up or down or reply.
I thought John Oliver also made the point last Sunday that good journalism costs money and often does not lead to the type of articles that generate clicks. (I watched john free on Youtube).
Newspapers like people have personalities and readers gravitate towards the ones that resonate with them. They need a way of attracting more diverse readers by presenting truly different different points of view without resorting to cat pictures.
I thought John Oliver also made the point last Sunday that good journalism costs money and often does not lead to the type of articles that generate clicks. (I watched john free on Youtube).
Newspapers like people have personalities and readers gravitate towards the ones that resonate with them. They need a way of attracting more diverse readers by presenting truly different different points of view without resorting to cat pictures.
3
Well then help me understand.
Trade unions losing to Mr Murdoch was bad and Brexit, as a loss for big whatever (corporation, bankers, lawyers and soulless creatures) is also bad.
All of it in the same article by the same writer. Am I being thick or journalism and politics are getting incestuously entwined in this article itself?
Trade unions losing to Mr Murdoch was bad and Brexit, as a loss for big whatever (corporation, bankers, lawyers and soulless creatures) is also bad.
All of it in the same article by the same writer. Am I being thick or journalism and politics are getting incestuously entwined in this article itself?
1
I regret that I wasted my time reading the whole of this article.
5
"Journalism and politics incestuously entwined" rings true to everyone who has been paying attention to the leaked DNC emails.
Print media is in trouble everywhere but I am hopeful "British journalism, with its proud history of mischief-making and scurrility" is better prepared to deal with the challenges than their American counterparts.
Thanks to the Telecommunication Act of 1996 during the Clinton Administration, television news are even more incestuous than the printed news.
You Brits got Brexit, Americans got Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.
Print media is in trouble everywhere but I am hopeful "British journalism, with its proud history of mischief-making and scurrility" is better prepared to deal with the challenges than their American counterparts.
Thanks to the Telecommunication Act of 1996 during the Clinton Administration, television news are even more incestuous than the printed news.
You Brits got Brexit, Americans got Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.
10
Soooo...
All of Britain's tabloids have left Fleet Street - for "greener" pastures...
You continue to be sited next to a bus station...
Your point is???
All of Britain's tabloids have left Fleet Street - for "greener" pastures...
You continue to be sited next to a bus station...
Your point is???
3
Having had family living in London for many years makes all this story read true.
JGAIA
JGAIA
I don't often indulge in the ad hominem, but it's pretty rich of Stig Abell, the former managing editor of one of the trashiest and most xenophobic, pornographic, and hateful rags ever to be mislabeled a newspaper, to pontificate on the state of the British press, given that his former employer was so centarl an actor of the debasement of Fleet Street. The British tabloids, one and all, have more in common with toilet paper than news paper.
18
"The result is that many newspapers have become living relics, pale and attenuated, struggling to be significant".
The SAME thing, or worse, could certainly be said of many (most?) US newspapers. Most are "pale and attenuated" vestiges of what they used to be, relying on fluff, recycled wire-service info, endless churning of the same stories, and non-news "styles" filler. Most are struggling to stay afloat, much less "significant" (except in their own minds, perhaps) too.
And many of the "newspapers" in the US -- like many of those in Britain -- have gone the tabloid route, purveying sensationalist headlines and celebrity "news" in place of actual reporting.
Sad, and a bad thing from democracy too!
The SAME thing, or worse, could certainly be said of many (most?) US newspapers. Most are "pale and attenuated" vestiges of what they used to be, relying on fluff, recycled wire-service info, endless churning of the same stories, and non-news "styles" filler. Most are struggling to stay afloat, much less "significant" (except in their own minds, perhaps) too.
And many of the "newspapers" in the US -- like many of those in Britain -- have gone the tabloid route, purveying sensationalist headlines and celebrity "news" in place of actual reporting.
Sad, and a bad thing from democracy too!
9
Reminds me of the halcyon days of the British press. There was a joke going around when I was in high school in the UK (which shows how long ago it was). I can't remember the whole thing, but it went something like:
The readers of the Daily Telegraph wish the British Empire still existed.
The readers of the Daily Mail think it still does.
... and the readers of the Sun (which always had a picture of a topless woman on page 3) don't care who is Prime Minister, as long as she has big (fill in the blank).
The readers of the Daily Telegraph wish the British Empire still existed.
The readers of the Daily Mail think it still does.
... and the readers of the Sun (which always had a picture of a topless woman on page 3) don't care who is Prime Minister, as long as she has big (fill in the blank).
7
I got a load of these folks watching the Leveson Inquiry. You can also do so for free.
http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20140122145147/http:/www.leves...
Use the Evidence tab to find your witness by alphas, then use the hearings tab to find their taped testimony by date. Really great show.
I saw four PMs telling us they thought getting too close to the press made a mess, but nothing was more compressed than the email Cameron left on a Red Top's BlackBerry after the device was released from police custody. Someone beat that file into Tempora. Got bent, GCHQ?
When Snowden revealed a file in which GCHQ bragged they'd busted the BB's compression technology with a bottle of bubbly months after that neat trick, I knew who fixed it. Perversion of justice to protect FOX's broadcaster from losing his license to live here. Not to mention that $2 billion dollar FCPA fine. Nothing to read, move along.
http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20140122145147/http:/www.leves...
Use the Evidence tab to find your witness by alphas, then use the hearings tab to find their taped testimony by date. Really great show.
I saw four PMs telling us they thought getting too close to the press made a mess, but nothing was more compressed than the email Cameron left on a Red Top's BlackBerry after the device was released from police custody. Someone beat that file into Tempora. Got bent, GCHQ?
When Snowden revealed a file in which GCHQ bragged they'd busted the BB's compression technology with a bottle of bubbly months after that neat trick, I knew who fixed it. Perversion of justice to protect FOX's broadcaster from losing his license to live here. Not to mention that $2 billion dollar FCPA fine. Nothing to read, move along.
1
I only expect Watson could follow this, but Sherlock is on the case. Are you being personally served, sir? I ask the editors every chance I get, but they think I'm being rhetorical. I'd use a personal server if I were them. Look at how it saved Murdoch's skin!
If you want to hear a presser talk you around in circles until you think you did the deed, just tune into Mark Up Mark before the Culture Committee!
If you want to hear a presser talk you around in circles until you think you did the deed, just tune into Mark Up Mark before the Culture Committee!
Having lived in London during the 70ties I saw many of their papers but only during lunch time when my fish and chips, loaded with vinegar, was rapped in yesterdays paper.
3
What made me sad was the way the press made hay of Haywood, even gave him a column after he "retired" from covering for their hacking, but then called him "common" because he drank too much of their bribery.
The Independent an "unread signal of virtue"? If unread, deservedly so. It always would astound me that whenever some aggregating site trumpeted an article about health breakthroughs and unexpected cures, the link always seemed to be to an Independent article. That story, in turn, would claim that unidentified researchers at unnamed institutions had found a way to get rid of Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, aging, or dandruff. No details, lots of froth. Good riddance.
1
The value of the popular press rests not so much in the stories it uncovers as the bad behaviour by the elites that it deters. The rule of thumb for reputation management in UK business or politics used to be "Don't do anything you wouldn't want to see on the front page or the News of the World (or Daily Mail, Private Eye, The Sun"
Ironically, despite the bad press we give ourselves, the UK is still one of the least corrupt nations on earth. Not through some moral superiority but in my view a healthy anxiety about being exposed by the "scurrilous" press.
Those who welcome the demise of hard-hitting newspapers should be careful what you wish for
Ironically, despite the bad press we give ourselves, the UK is still one of the least corrupt nations on earth. Not through some moral superiority but in my view a healthy anxiety about being exposed by the "scurrilous" press.
Those who welcome the demise of hard-hitting newspapers should be careful what you wish for
8
So, Fleet Street is now "... the haunt of lawyers, insurers, and other soulless creatures." Really ? Mr. Abell is too glib and arrogant by far for this article to be taken seriously. What's next, mocking bankers as heartless vampires, or calling accountants brainless automatons ?
4
"What's next, mocking bankers as heartless vampires, or calling accountants brainless automatons?"
I hope nor. Why waste ink—or pixels—stating the obvious?
I hope nor. Why waste ink—or pixels—stating the obvious?
1
I don't think you grasp the British sense of humour in Mr. Abell's remark, W. Greene. Perhaps if you remember that journalists are not exactly tops of most popular profession lists it might help you see it.
1
Abell is using British tabloid trash talk.
So I guess News Corp was completely benign in their ownership of newspapers in the UK and Australia, just not in the US.
It can't be repeated often enough that News Corp's 2nd largest shareholder is a Saudi prince, and that Australia (where News Corp controls something like 77% of the newspapers) has been backing away from a carbon tax they had passed, and gutting budgets for science that are vital to monitoring climate change.
"no evidence of cat-stroking conspiracy, of evil attempts to manipulate things."?
Fox News in the US seems designed to do little else other than exactly that. (I don't want to imagine Roger Ailes with a white cat, there's already too many unpleasant mental images of him being traded in the media).
Its hard to mourn the passing on an entire industry so without value, so dedicated to demeaning its subjects and fellow countrymen as British Tabloid Journalism. Inventing lies, destroying reputations, profiting from their gutter ramblings.
Good riddance to bad rubbish.
It can't be repeated often enough that News Corp's 2nd largest shareholder is a Saudi prince, and that Australia (where News Corp controls something like 77% of the newspapers) has been backing away from a carbon tax they had passed, and gutting budgets for science that are vital to monitoring climate change.
"no evidence of cat-stroking conspiracy, of evil attempts to manipulate things."?
Fox News in the US seems designed to do little else other than exactly that. (I don't want to imagine Roger Ailes with a white cat, there's already too many unpleasant mental images of him being traded in the media).
Its hard to mourn the passing on an entire industry so without value, so dedicated to demeaning its subjects and fellow countrymen as British Tabloid Journalism. Inventing lies, destroying reputations, profiting from their gutter ramblings.
Good riddance to bad rubbish.
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I love the image of Ailes stroking a white cat, just like Blofeld in James Bond movies!---this is such a video age why don't we move away from print completely and just broadcast everything?
Sounds like the industry is ready for "disruptive innovation", no? Instead of picking up your delivered newspaper from the front doormat every morning, just pick up your smart phone from your bedside table, and read the latest delivery......
Sounds like the industry is ready for "disruptive innovation", no? Instead of picking up your delivered newspaper from the front doormat every morning, just pick up your smart phone from your bedside table, and read the latest delivery......
1
You're just bad - for liking the Blofeld reference, that's all I can say. I agree with the balance in that seems where things are heading so far as fast reading/comprehension is concerned. For Slow reading though, I think written language still has an advantage, because it's controllable as to how fast you go. Whereas video leaves no room for reflection, it just moves and you have to keep up.
What is "cat-stroking conspiracy"?
2
Possible meanings are varied and entertaining to invent ... but think the Bond villain (Bolfeld, I think) who had a rather fine white, longhair cat. As B explained to a shackled Bond exactly what was to happen to him, then the world, B was stroking this feline, held at chest-height. Said beast was exuding approval - of Bond, Blofeld or plot, was never made clear.
A conspiracy to stroke cats, against their will? Now there's the basis for a horror-fur story ...
A conspiracy to stroke cats, against their will? Now there's the basis for a horror-fur story ...
1
A conspiracy in which the faceless leader sits at the head of a big table, stroking a cat, of course. Haven't you seen any James Bond movies?
1
Think Austin Powers or James Bond movies. How many times was the evil genius behind the evil conspiracy shown as a fat cat holding and stroking a fat cat of his own?
I lived in London for 9 years in late 90's-00's. The only paper i ever read was the Guardian. The truth is wherever Rupert Murdoch goes Hate and Fear follow. Phone hacking to Rebekah Brooks to FOX News/Roger Ailes. Murdoch is the reason discourse is always lowered everywhere he goes.
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Note, un-noticed by the author off the opinion piece.
4
But today Guardian is as sorry excuse for a paper as this rag seems to be. Media is dying, if not already dead.
It was with much chagrin, watching the decline of British newspapering in the late 1980s, as journalists flocked to London – following the money – to work for free-market Murdoch-led print publications where serious coin was offered in exchange for often vicious copy.
About the only good thing that happened then was getting those 'content creators' away from the semi-sloshed power brokers of the City, the Met and the Thatcherites of Fleet Street. But the bitter payoff then signaled the click-bait that exists today both over there and over here.
About the only good thing that happened then was getting those 'content creators' away from the semi-sloshed power brokers of the City, the Met and the Thatcherites of Fleet Street. But the bitter payoff then signaled the click-bait that exists today both over there and over here.
15
The Guardian used to be on my list of daily reads as I sought a non-American perspective on the news, but The Guardian has larded itself with alumni from defunct or shrinking American publications and now reads like any other American paper- complete with the villager talk of D.C. on political coverage. No thank you.
The corporatization and commoditization of media is a big part of what is killing it. The same canned AP wire service copy fills pages of many papers and the usual suspects among syndicated columnists fill the opinion pages as well. Then there is the whole stupid practice of papers such as this one giving away content on Facebook that subscribers like myself pay for.
Then there is the simple fact that news media- print, online and broadcast/cable have largely abandoned the practice of deep dives into policy to inform the viewers/readers about issues. Instead of talking heads spouting talking points about the Trans-Pacific Partnership, how about a deep factual look at trade deals and what happened versus what was promised to citizens. Do not give me Paul Krugman's take- show me a non-editorial look at what the proposed deal will do.
It is kind of like the difference between watching a ball game and hearing a bunch of sports radio hosts babbling about it. I would much rather the game and not the babble.
The corporatization and commoditization of media is a big part of what is killing it. The same canned AP wire service copy fills pages of many papers and the usual suspects among syndicated columnists fill the opinion pages as well. Then there is the whole stupid practice of papers such as this one giving away content on Facebook that subscribers like myself pay for.
Then there is the simple fact that news media- print, online and broadcast/cable have largely abandoned the practice of deep dives into policy to inform the viewers/readers about issues. Instead of talking heads spouting talking points about the Trans-Pacific Partnership, how about a deep factual look at trade deals and what happened versus what was promised to citizens. Do not give me Paul Krugman's take- show me a non-editorial look at what the proposed deal will do.
It is kind of like the difference between watching a ball game and hearing a bunch of sports radio hosts babbling about it. I would much rather the game and not the babble.
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Recent articles in the Sun, the Daily Mirror, and the rest had NASA photos of small satellites being deployed from the International Space Station, apparently blurred, with sensationalist headlines variously describing them as missiles or UFOs.
Worthless nonsense.
Worthless nonsense.
5
One of those words is redundant! Unless there is, by contrast, worthy nonsense? Ah yes. I have it. Any soaring speech by Obama involving the words 'freedom', 'democracy', and 'peace.'
Odyssios: "Unless there is, by contrast, worthy nonsense?"
There are obvious examples that don't entail specious snark:
1. "Jabberwocky" by Lewis Carroll.
2. "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats" by T. S. Eliot.
3. The song "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" from the 1964 Disney film "Mary Poppins".
There are obvious examples that don't entail specious snark:
1. "Jabberwocky" by Lewis Carroll.
2. "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats" by T. S. Eliot.
3. The song "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" from the 1964 Disney film "Mary Poppins".
Much of this is spot on, with one glaring exception: the snarky characterization of the Jeremy Corbyn phenomenon. This is a grassroots movement that has seen membership grow in a way unthinkable since the disenchantment of much of the electorate after the disastrous invasion of Iraq. The people joining to support Corbyn come from all ages and most walks of life...though I don't imagine there are too many benefited by the present regime who admire Corbyn's policies, which are aimed at turning back austerity, reinvesting in infrastructure, and reducing some of the most blatant signs of economic inequality in the UK. These are rational aims, but to hear much of the media (including the once revered Guardian), they are the ravings of lunatics. The hysterical response on the part of the UK media to the idea that a democratically elected leader might actually be responsible to his membership really makes one wonder. It's been a fascinating thing to watch from the Pacific Northwest, and obviously has certain applications to our own election cycle.
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Not really. His absence during the Brexit debates, and the rise of candidates to oppose Corbyn to be beatable for his position. Much like Uncle Bernie, who was booed at the DNC by his own groupies, Corbyn has found it easier to start a following then control that following.
I'm impressed they still want to prosecute Tony, while we seem to have glossed over something. Here's a hot tip from Tony to the Murdochs by way of their Red Top on how to endure the hacking scandal. Why this email didn't get compressed in her BB like Cameron's suggests only active heads of state get the Tempora treatment.
http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/interactive/2014/feb/19/rebekah-brook...
http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/interactive/2014/feb/19/rebekah-brook...
2
James' response is HILARIOUS! Really girl, can't you help it? Even CEO's are drones in the thrall of Telephony.
Oh, just one more thought...the sadness created reading this article has reminded me that I want to watch "Good Night and Good Luck" one more time; the most recent reminder of what great American journalism consisted of, and the turmoil surrounding some of those decisions. Newspapers (and TV) did a lot of growing up with the help of Edward R. Murrow.
7
Criticizing a paper or business model is what this article should be about. Criticizing people for for their looks is cheap and a reflection of the trashy papers you are supposed to be criticizing. Describing Grove as 'halibut faced' or Corbyn as a 'dufferish old uncle' completely undermines anything sensible you might have had to say. And somehow I don't thing you have the guts to talk about the 'dog-faced Teresa May', currently Prime Minister....or do you?
25
Well the writer did work for the Sun, the home of the Page 3 bimbos..
1
He wasn't fishlike appearance-shaming. Michael Gove actually *is* halibut-faced.
3
I agree that the Gove description is out of line, but calling Corbyn an old duffer has a basis in fact and is fair game. It has nothing to do with his looks.
The diminished role and influence of the Fourth Estate seems a two-headed sword to me. I believe totally in a strong and ,especially, free press; we must have truthful, unbiased reporting of all types, which is one of those statements that may in this time be followed or replied to with a "Duh!", but sadly is not. The two-headed part, to my thinking, is that the newspaper leadership may have brought on some of their own headaches by modifying their product and their market strategies, moving away from reliable investigative journalism towards more "pop" journalism. But perhaps not doing so would have had the same financial impact. I just miss the idea of not having a reliable newspaper to read, even if electronically; objective news reporting, hard-hitting and factual investigative journalism and intelligent opinion pages are a combination vital to a strong democracy, and just so damn much fun to read...I hate to see it disappear!
8
For centuries, Fleet Street was synonymous with British journalism and home of its national press. Before the days of television the newspapers there - all within walking distance of each other - played a very important role in providing 85% of information to the public. Circulations increased in the 1970s and peaked in the 1980s.
It all changed, when Rupert Murdoch moved his papers - consisting of the Sun, the now-closed News of the World, the Times and Sunday Times - off to a custom-built complex at Wapping in east London in 1986. This led to a bitter, year-long dispute which sometimes turned violent, but ended in defeat for the unions. After the Wapping dispute most national newspapers had moved away from Fleet Street to other parts of London, adopting new - and cheaper - computerised printing technology.
With the last remaining journalists from the Scottish Sunday Post moving out, Fleet Street's own story has come to an end, closing a colourful final chapter of British journalism. According to insiders, alcohol flowed like water in Fleet Street, and the notorious El Vino wine bar had for many years refused to serve women, who today make up nearly half of the world of journalism.
It all changed, when Rupert Murdoch moved his papers - consisting of the Sun, the now-closed News of the World, the Times and Sunday Times - off to a custom-built complex at Wapping in east London in 1986. This led to a bitter, year-long dispute which sometimes turned violent, but ended in defeat for the unions. After the Wapping dispute most national newspapers had moved away from Fleet Street to other parts of London, adopting new - and cheaper - computerised printing technology.
With the last remaining journalists from the Scottish Sunday Post moving out, Fleet Street's own story has come to an end, closing a colourful final chapter of British journalism. According to insiders, alcohol flowed like water in Fleet Street, and the notorious El Vino wine bar had for many years refused to serve women, who today make up nearly half of the world of journalism.
21
There is one thing you did not mention Sir and that is the return of red baiting and McCarthyism in the American media. Unfortunately the days of a balanced narrative from the media seem to be over, I presume this is the influence of big money in media as in everything else. If one doesn't like a paper today it is quite simple to just buy it, strip mine it for its value(usually real estate) and discard the carcas, an excellent recent example of this was Sam Zells purchase and dismantling of a venerable Chicago paper or Sheldon Adelsons starting his own paper in Israel and giving it away for free in an attempt to diminish the influence of the excellent left leaning Harratz which does not support Netanyahu. Your article did bring back fond memories of my home town of San Francisco though, when the old Chronicle building was south of the slot(market Street) and indeed the two or three bars along third and seventh were packed at six in the morning as the type setters ended their shifts or were getting ready for the next one, they have been replaced by the same types as in London the soulless techies and bankers slurping their coffees and looking at their phones as they trot of to their jobs, weaving their way between the homeless, seeking to disrupt and destroy another part of the economy. Not a pretty picture on the paper front.
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Very interesting. Perhaps the demise of the scurrility is not so bad.
But what is a 'paywall'?
American speakers of English want to know.
But what is a 'paywall'?
American speakers of English want to know.
4
Welcome back from the hills, Rip van Winkle. For you must have been sleeping at least 20 years not to have encountered the term 'paywall'!
A 'paywall' is what prevents nonsubscribers from reading the paper. If you don't have a subscription and then click on a headline, a pop-up will obscure the text, inviting you to pony up if you want to read further.
The word was added to the OED in 2010. Yes, I found that out by googling it. And no, I am not going to define the verb 'to google' (which can be both transitive and intransitive, it seems).
;}
A 'paywall' is what prevents nonsubscribers from reading the paper. If you don't have a subscription and then click on a headline, a pop-up will obscure the text, inviting you to pony up if you want to read further.
The word was added to the OED in 2010. Yes, I found that out by googling it. And no, I am not going to define the verb 'to google' (which can be both transitive and intransitive, it seems).
;}
5
Paywall = electronic subscription... just like the one we pay to the NYT each month.
3
Paywall is the blocking of access to a web article unless you have a subscription. The NYT invokes paywall after accessing a few articles ( I think on a per month basis).
4
So you never saw any of the wiretapping, police bribes, or other illegal stuff? Well, you wouldn't be fool enough to admit to it, anyway, would you? No, all that's left is to blame humorless leftists, not the too-cozy relationship between public officials and their paymasters in the newspaper offices.
20
As until recently a subscriber to TLS (renewing was outside my meagre income bracket), I have to say I miss it. And I wish Mr Abell were a regular columnist for the NYT. What a gift for wry rhetoric:
'lawyers, insurers and other soulless creatures'
'Boris Johnson ... who is now baffling the world as foreign secretary'
'Sarah Vine ... a Lady Macbeth of middlebrow letters'
'cat-stroking conspiracy'
Even the wittiest NYT regulars on their best days haven't coined barbs that good.
Even with their number declining, though, British print journalism is still livelier than American print journalism. I'm old enough to remember when more than a dozen newspapers served New York. Now there are but three - which has inflated the importance of the NYT (especially in the paper's own eyes) to a degree perhaps unearned. In some major cities there is no longer even one daily. Internet 'journalism', particularly on the regional and local level, does not make up for the loss of those papers.
Those shouts may grate, but they're signs of life.
'lawyers, insurers and other soulless creatures'
'Boris Johnson ... who is now baffling the world as foreign secretary'
'Sarah Vine ... a Lady Macbeth of middlebrow letters'
'cat-stroking conspiracy'
Even the wittiest NYT regulars on their best days haven't coined barbs that good.
Even with their number declining, though, British print journalism is still livelier than American print journalism. I'm old enough to remember when more than a dozen newspapers served New York. Now there are but three - which has inflated the importance of the NYT (especially in the paper's own eyes) to a degree perhaps unearned. In some major cities there is no longer even one daily. Internet 'journalism', particularly on the regional and local level, does not make up for the loss of those papers.
Those shouts may grate, but they're signs of life.
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Quite. British print journalism has done irreparable harm over the years to both individuals and the direction of political debate (Brexit for example) but it has the, now rare, merit of untrammelled scorn for reputation. And I say this a Fleet Street lawyer.
3
Witty barbs and wry rhetoric tend to deflect attention from underlying claims, not to mention issues of fairness. "It was said well" comes to count for more than "it was said accurately", allowing people like Boris Johnson to thrive on so-called 'wit', often to the detriment of serious discussion.
Far be it from me to deny a proper place to wicked insinuendo and tart repartee. Good British television is still embarrassingly (for an american) rich in wit, scripted and non-, master strokes often apparently spontaneous. A 30-minute fix of "Would I lie to you?!", and i feel temporarily sated, happy to move on to a sober journalistic style, sans the glittering superficialities.
Far be it from me to deny a proper place to wicked insinuendo and tart repartee. Good British television is still embarrassingly (for an american) rich in wit, scripted and non-, master strokes often apparently spontaneous. A 30-minute fix of "Would I lie to you?!", and i feel temporarily sated, happy to move on to a sober journalistic style, sans the glittering superficialities.
3
"... wry rhetoric ..."
Better called "specious snark".
Better called "specious snark".
Sadly, it is not newspapers that are to blame for their failures. The education level of today is infereior to that of yore. Why, students are not taught to hold a pencil in a functinal manner any longer. Flash cards are too violent, reading losses are more acceptable.
Today, the attention spans are minimal, thanks to show like Sesame Street that symbolized education while using 30 second tv spots to "sell" the alphabet.
Now, the web provides a shade, a mere shade of the news we got in the Papers. I hear they are going to stop teaching cursive penmanship. That means they will rob us of the free rool of self expression, handwriting has always represented.
Question: Why are we sitting by and allowing this mass devolution to drown us? Why?
Today, the attention spans are minimal, thanks to show like Sesame Street that symbolized education while using 30 second tv spots to "sell" the alphabet.
Now, the web provides a shade, a mere shade of the news we got in the Papers. I hear they are going to stop teaching cursive penmanship. That means they will rob us of the free rool of self expression, handwriting has always represented.
Question: Why are we sitting by and allowing this mass devolution to drown us? Why?
32
Well put sir.
4
I concur and well spoken. But there is a sliver of discernible light here. The Economist (it refers to itself as a newspaper) has seen a slight bump in its circulation one they claim is from younger people. And on this side of the Atlantic - so too has the New Yorker magazine.
Perhaps - and its a big perhaps - we will see newspapers migrate from the daily to ,say, twice weekly and tending towards more in-depth long-form journalism of the sort practiced by the aforementioned publications. I, for one, would be willing to pay for a newsprint product that migrated in this direction. Just a thought.
And kudos on your mention of cursive writing. After all - this nations founding documents were written in that style. Should we become so ignorant as to no longer be able to read them in their original form? I hope not.
Perhaps - and its a big perhaps - we will see newspapers migrate from the daily to ,say, twice weekly and tending towards more in-depth long-form journalism of the sort practiced by the aforementioned publications. I, for one, would be willing to pay for a newsprint product that migrated in this direction. Just a thought.
And kudos on your mention of cursive writing. After all - this nations founding documents were written in that style. Should we become so ignorant as to no longer be able to read them in their original form? I hope not.
1
Basic biology, we don't want to waste energy. Lazy be the birds, too. Did you know hummers spend 80% of their time sitting?
I make a point of critically analyzing the message and who is zooming who for whom. Even then I can get broomed. These folks turn Positive Psychology on its head for profit. Many in conservative office are PR pimps or journalishes. Think madmen with stun guns. Gove is positively polar in his empathy.
One negative statement carries the weight of three positive ones. Do the sums. These fleeting folks are lazy, too.
I make a point of critically analyzing the message and who is zooming who for whom. Even then I can get broomed. These folks turn Positive Psychology on its head for profit. Many in conservative office are PR pimps or journalishes. Think madmen with stun guns. Gove is positively polar in his empathy.
One negative statement carries the weight of three positive ones. Do the sums. These fleeting folks are lazy, too.
Oscar WIlde died destitute in Paris - perhaps not the best role model for the British Newspapers.
7
Gererd" Like Parnell, Wilde was destroyed by Brit press.
Newspapers in Britain were ruined by Rupert Murdoch. In the 80s after he bought the Times he took on the print unions and beat them. Everyone cheered, little knowing what he would do with this flagship newspaper. He took it down market and made it almost profitable. The other papers followed suit.
Then he turned his sights to the NY Post and Fox, and America got an idea of his agenda.
The Daily Mail is vile, mean spirited and addictive.
The Guardian takes the high road and has a world wide readership, it has to get its act together and start charging, we need it to remain in business.
Then he turned his sights to the NY Post and Fox, and America got an idea of his agenda.
The Daily Mail is vile, mean spirited and addictive.
The Guardian takes the high road and has a world wide readership, it has to get its act together and start charging, we need it to remain in business.
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