Between the onslaught of the Internet, Craigslist, and the host of specialized websites and blogs, newspapers have become the incredible shrinking clarions. Ignore the fact that what you see on the front page you saw last night (or two days ago) on the web. It's the rest of the newspaper that is withering, making it less immediate.
- Whither the Book Section? The San Diego Union-Tribune was once one of seven newspapers that published a weekly book section. Now the "section" has been relegated to a page in the Arts and the occasional mid-week review. Hello! Readers of newspapers probably read books.
- Advertisements on the front page of the newspaper!
- Expanded charts from Del Mar disappeared about a week ago, driving all degenerate track hounds to...the web.
- A new section, written by the public, is almost unreadable. The articles read like the worst PR puff-pieces, generously larded with deadly prose and grammatical leaps of faith.
- Ditto the North County, or East County sections. In an attempt to make all news local, the Union-Tribune has dumbed-down to the lowest possible denominator.
- No more TV Guide in the paper. OK, I haven't used it years and I suspect that I am not alone, but senior citizens are up in arms. Easy for us to snicker at them and suggest they hit the Guide button on their cable controller, but c'mon, technology may not be their "thang."
Instead we have a list of celebrity birthdays, a column on page 2 that regales us with the comings and goings of such paragons of sobriety as Amy Winehouse, Brittany Spears, and Lindsay Lohan. The newspaper is becoming a collection in inane, superficial factoids.
Maybe it is time to think the unthinkable. The lazy Sunday mornings with the newspaper spread over the breakfast table, decorated with scone crumbs and coffee mug rings, may be only a few in number. Doing the New York Times crossword puzzle may not be enough to justify keeping the subscription.
