Everyone has an opinion on newspapers or the demise thereof -- us too (here, for instance. Sometimes the opinions are confusing. BoingBoing, for instance, generally writes that the news should be free, (along with music, movies, books) -- free, free, free. But then they publish "Free Parking Costs a Fortune", on the hidden costs of downtown suburban parking. Labor and resources for this free, costly, but not labor and resources for that free? Confusing.
Offering a different kind of confusing, Michael Moore harangues American newspapers (video, YouTube) for "slitting their own throats". He says that in the rest of the world newspapers support themselves with subscriptions: "they know that in order to keep circulation up they better put out a damn good newspaper".
Let's see, in the UK there's BBC -- scary public option, FT Group, part of Pearson and not dependent on the little pink paper, the Guardian and of course the Mirror, the Sun, Star...and others of their ilk. Are they thriving?
In the UK, publisher Archant had 61% drop in profits for 2009 through June. UK's Independent News and Media (INM)-- had a 3rd quarter 2008 drop of 99%, and News Corps -- with Australian, UK and US papers, a 97% drop in the same period. The Guardian profits have plummeted. Germany, France and the rest of Europe? All declining profits.
Moore's story for the demise of American newspapers but not any other country's is catchy and his voice rises to a booming crescendo as he unveils the familiar scapegoats: Republicans and capitalism. He says that newspapers supported Republicans who cut education therefore increasing illiteracy which decreased numbers of newspaper readers. But it's too pat. There are many factors contributing to the decline of newspapers but its not the fault of the Republicans. And is it any more than fantasy to think the rest of the world's wired that differently?
