Saving local news

If you want to know why we are here doing Muddy River News, go no further than this piece from WIREPOINTS.

This hits the nail on the head. Yes, it is written with a bit of a conservative slant (note the shots at AP and the New York Times), but it’s pretty tough to dispute.

FROM WIREPOINTS – Most newspapers are struggling to find a revenue model that works. Their problems stem mostly from the internet, which has made free content widely available and replaced much of paper advertising, traditionally a major revenue source.

Most conspicuously, Chicago Tribune employees are rallying to find an investor to save it; ideally, a philanthropic investor who cares more about quality journalism than the bottom line.

I hope they succeed.

But my previous career was making investments, and there’s one thought that hits me every time I see something about papers needing investors. If I were being pitched to make the investment, the first thing I would say is this:

“Let me get this straight. You want me to invest in a business that thumbs its nose at half its addressable market, do I have that right?”

I’m referring to the half of the population that is politically right of center. For the most part, that audience is disregarded if not disdained by most papers. I won’t parse through the evidence for that because it has now become so obvious, and because most readers here know that and are here for an alternative.

Local news here in Illinois is far less biased than in the national media, where bias has become absurd, both on the left and right though overwhelmingly on the left. Where local bias is severe is on story selection. Look at the syndicated stories local papers print on national and world news and you will typically see what’s essentially the left’s agenda. If you lean right or even center, you won’t find much of interest, so why subscribe?