Via Drums, the message that the voices — and ears — of Farai Chideya and Tony Cox might have to find a new home for reporting, interviewing and moderating. “News & Notes” has been excellent since Chideya took over for Ed Gordon a few years back. Unlike Gordon, both Chideya and Cox listen closer to their interview subjects than they do to themselves.
The larger issues are that the shrinking of the traditional, dedicated, PAID media is accelerating with the economy’s squeeze, and that, not surprisingly, this tends to hit black-oriented outlets harder.
I’m somewhat optimistic about the outcome of all this for hardcore consumers of news. Seems to me that the landscape is messier but more wide open with the Internet, blogs and the like. There may not be as many recognized leaders with deep pockets when it comes to covering major issues of the day, but the fact that communication is faster and flatter makes some incredible collaborations possible, and I think that many people are taking more seriously their role in shaping coverage.
I’m not so sanguine about people who have made their living in the news. The reporting and editing jobs that used to be there will keep disappearing because of new methods of gathering and producing news and less money to go around.
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