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Media consolidation: 1949 Royal Commission.
E&P on one-newspaper towns. (Does E&P even publish anymore?)
complaining about too much foreign coverage AP!
news shrinks; would like to supply more, but shareholders! must be fair!
now the problem is no longer outrageous profits … but same attitude … death spiral
John Morton (that one other and mary meeker)
read all about it guy.
shareholders cross section of american public!
proprietors nervous around news like horse owners around horses!
don’t compete; buy the other out and levy tribute
between-us editorials!
foreign news in the country depends on how ny dept stores sell underwear
(for all the very real promise of the internet, made it depend *more* on advertising – even as the advertising market thus became more competitive. utter failure to grasp the dynamics that led to others innovating craigslist, google and such, even deadspin and mlbtraderumors.com)
1925 already apparent!
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Journalism failed us badly. Here’s how.
As the Times story said, “Over the course of the campaign, he has earned close to $2 billion worth of media attention, about twice the all-in price of the most expensive presidential campaigns in history. It is also twice the estimated $746 million that Hillary Clinton, the next best at earning media, took in.”
Of this development, CBS Chairman Les Moonves famously said: “It may not be good for America, but it’s damn good for CBS.” Here’s what else he said: “Man, who would have expected the ride we’re all having right now? The money’s rolling in and this is fun. I’ve never seen anything like this, and this going to be a very good year for us. Sorry. It’s a terrible thing to say. But, bring it on, Donald. Keep going.”
POLLS –
“You balanced Donald Trump’s proposal that the military execute the innocent families of terrorists, against Hillary’s emails. You balanced pot-stirring racist lies about President Obama’s birth, against Hillary’s emails. You balanced a religious test at our borders, torture by our military, jokes about assassination, unfounded claims of a rigged election, boasts about groping and paradoxical threats to sue anyone who confirmed the boasts, against Hillary’s emails. You balanced endorsement of nuclear proliferation, against Hillary’s emails. You balanced tirelessly, indefatigably; you balanced, you balanced, and then you balanced some more.”
THE TRENDING TOPICS FIASCO
(DISTRIBUTORS DOING CONTENT)
After every election, we agonize about journalism’s coverage.
SAME THING EVERY TIME – NOT ENOUGH SUBSTANCE. REMEMBER WHEN WE WOULD NO LONGER IGNORE AFGHANISTAN?
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No Media Critics.
no comment. no peer review.
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Also — you’re thinking about factchecking & what it says about press quality…
Also — you’re thinking about digital outlets who are doing some things well…
Also: literary over facts; novelization of the news. what did he have for breakfast?
Formula: thanksgiving; the stories done every year
Editors have ideas in their head …
Bullshit of trend stories …
Homicide watch fad
foundation/grant misfire – citizen journalism, hyperlocal, tech, public data … never about doing journalism itself better and funding the models that work … tally wins and losses for knight, mccormick, macarthur …
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http://www.hiwrite.com/pro.html
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http://www.rusoffagency.com/non_fiction_book_proposal.htm
Organization
1. Overview and Description
The proposal will generally open with a two-to three-page introduction. This is essentially an abstract, providing a thesis statement and delineating the concept of the book. Make a strong case for yourself here: Tell us how you came to this idea and why you think it is important.
2. Outline
Provide a table of contents followed by a detailed chapter-by-chapter description of the book. For each proposed chapter, write at least a paragraph–more if you like–summing up the major points of this chapter. How will your book be organized? Will you provide case studies?
3. The Package
Include an estimated length of the manuscript and a projected delivery date. Also, if there will be artwork, mention how many pieces of art there will be and whether it will be color or black-and-white. Please list the sources, and if you know the details, provide information on how the art will be licensed and what reprint permissions might cost.
Market
1. Audience
Whom do you think will read your book? How will they use it, and how will it help them? Be as specific as possible. The more narrowly you focus on your audience, the greater the chance you have of attracting an editor and, eventually, reaching your readers. In other words, “everyone who likes to read will read this book” is a less useful description than “this is a book for people who like to garden.”
2. Competition
What other books exist in this subject area? It is your responsibility to know. Go to bookstores, the library; check Books in Print (available in the reference section of most libraries). An editor reading your proposal may or may not know the market for this specific area; nonetheless, she will depend on you to describe the competition. Then explain briefly what each competing book tries to do, and describe how yours is different. (In the case of many competitive books, stick to only those three or four that you consider to be the most important and the best.) If there is little or no competition, explain how your book fills a gap in the market.
About the author
Why are you the right person to write this book? What are your relevant experiences? Tell us about your background and your present occupation. Mention anything interesting about yourself that is relevant to this book. Have you written any previous books? (If so, you should collect all information about sales, subsidiary rights, reviews, etc., and submit that to me.) Do you have any media experience? The prospective publisher will want to know this. Press clips and videotapes should be included. You can also attach a CV if you have one.
Writing sample
It is essential that the proposal include a writing sample, so the editor can get a sense of your style. You may have great ideas, but that is not enough if you cannot effectively convey them.
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education and training
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deming!
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chapter: fact-checking
chapter: minimum mandator
chapter: obama press conference? or another book?
chapter: follow liebling: trend stories, death of newspapers,
chapter: sun-times mckinney affair + ferro
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look at my proposal/s
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learn from lippman, liebling, chomsky
Posted on June 18, 2017
