Writing for this blog is no fun. It’s true. As I searched for something to write about journalism or media that wasn’t bleak or depressing, I found my options were slim. Do I opine on the ease of which Reuters’ kills their own stories whenever Obama calls? Or maybe I ought to discuss Prism Magazine, the new online mag about national security published by Maher Arar?
No. None of that is very fun. So it was with great relief that I opened my inbox and found this email:
“Hey Tyler,
Seeing as you guys are arguably the preeminent J-School in the country, I figured we’d offer up our take on how to save the newspaper biz…
Cheers,
Chris & Noel”
First of all, that’s a choice use of the word preeminent. Second, I was shocked to find Chris and Noel had put together 25 completely plausible ways of saving this sorry industry such as, “Make the job of paperboy more lucrative by giving the person something more valuable than newspapers to deliver, like firewood or drugs.”
Finally, someone has taken the pressure off me to save the industry! My favourite item on the list, by the way, is number two. By way of pure coincidence, check rrj.ca next Tuesday to read 1,000 words on what I have to say about it.
About the author
Tyler Harper was the Editor for the Summer 2010 issue of the Ryerson Review of Journalism.