I've really lost the habit of reading a daily newspaper. I used to run for the paper every morning in the 70s and 80s. I read every story, even the fillers. I became a CNN addict during the first Gulf War (maybe we should start calling it GWI?). After I started teaching, I slowly began cutting down on buying a newspaper, but I increased the amount of time I spent with the network news and cable news.
That has changed since the towers went down, when I accepted that we were, and would continue to be, at war with Islamic fanatics. I used the emerging blog media to find out what was happening, and, over time, I gradually supplanted the MSM with blogs and other, less mediated sources of information. Over time, I started noticing that the blogs were more immediate, more accurate, and, if slanted in a particular direction, at least honest and up-front about it.
I dipped my toes in the water, and quickly became a part (a very small part) of the phenomenon. In my search for interesting content, I started researching primary (and reliable secondary) sources, and enjoyed returning to a passion I'd had in college, data analysis. With the rise in Internet content, it's possible to find nearly everything you need to know about a topic.
I think it's clear the MSM has been stabbed in the vitals. Like the dinosaurs and other large critters, it may be some time before they gasp their last. Remnants of them may still exist, although in very altered form.
I, for one, won't miss them.
Tags = Media
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