The newspaper industry is alive and well, according to New York Times managing editor Jill Abramson. While she is right to suggest that “serious” journalism is needed now more than ever – as Western governments increasingly treat the press with “open disdain” – she is misplaced to argue that establishment media is the best place to achieve this accountability.
“Stand-alone journalism” is rising, as is the power of Google and Yahoo. Hard-hitting investigative journalism requires time and money, and most bloggers simply aren’t interested in anything more than partisan, point-scoring. Institutions like the Times are essential, if nothing else, to determine the voice of the corporate media. After all, the paper clearly believes that a Democratic President would save America.
Let’s not forget, finally, that Abramson’s role in the Judith Miller story remains murky.