Newspaper editors believe readers prefer featurized, frilly news reports; that somehow verbosity adds entertainment value; that murky substance equates with depth. They are losing readers.
What readers want is easy and fast reading. Journalists long ago developed the skills to provide that kind of material. Then USA Today came on the scene and other editors tried to imitate its look and feel, particularly its vastly overwritten feature items. Likely the USA Today style seeped to the J-schools as well. At least that's the only way I can explain what happened.
Whatever, these days you can scarcely find a well-constructed news report. Check a few typical lead sentences from the past couple days:
"Weight loss. Smoking. Public speaking fears. Nail biting. Insomnia."
"Newark boys basketball coach Jeff Quackenbush could not pinpoint the exact time when he knew this season was going to be special."
"It struck Mary Ellinger the Newark Surgery Center was different than other facilities where she had been treated."
"If cats indeed have nine lives, someone should check whether the Ohio State men's basketball team drinks milk from a saucer."
"Heather Puryear's 2-year-old son, Jaliek, looked out the window Tuesday and said he wanted to go outside and play."
If the people in charge of today's newspapers would ever read the crap being offered up as news reports, they'd get a clue about why they are in a dying business. They're trying to make insipid material seem interesting and important but it only amounts to a waste of time. Insipid material is insipid material, no matter how cute you think you've dressed it.
As a small step toward survival, news executives, go back to basic news writing and then go find some news.
Monday, March 19, 2007
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