Brave News World

Here's a depressing article in The Economist about the decline of newspapers. I'll have more to say later, but dig this quote:

Research into the tastes of mainstream newspaper readers has long shown that people like short stories and news that is relevant to them: local reporting, sports, entertainment, weather and traffic. On the internet [...] they are looking to enhance their way of life. Long pieces about foreign affairs are low on readers' priorities—the more so now that the internet enables people to scan international news headlines in moments [...] “Our research shows that people are looking for more utility from newspapers,” says Sammy Papert, chief executive of Belden Associates, a firm that specialises in research for American newspapers. People want their paper to tell them how to get richer, and what they might do in the evening.

Research shows that people want do know how to get richer, and what they might do in the evening. People don't even want news.

Recently, Robert Scoble wrote that he thinks the future of journalism lies in teaching journalists more than writing skills to tell a story. In his mind, such a multimedia approach will enhance news storytelling, bring more depth to Internet-based news sources. He's clearly an optimist.

In Scoble's vision, news consumers are noble seekers who want more depth to their news, when in reality the are pleasure seekers. If Scoble's vision of news is realized, we will not end up with is not enhanced news coverage, but wall-to-wall entertainment. One step closer to Aldous Huxley's vision of a pleasure-soaked and anesthetized world state.