The importance of circulation

In today's Philadelphia Inquirer, Daniel Rubin (author of the Inquirer's blog, Blinq) has kind words for my earlier discussion of declining newspaper readership:

At Classical Values (www.classicalvalues.com), right-of-left blogger and lawyer Eric Scheie pays some respect, and not even begrudgingly:

"While I often disagree with its editorial views, I'm sorry to see The Inquirer falling on hard times. I can't speak for 'the Internet,' but I have been a much more avid reader of The Inquirer since I took up blogging, and I couldn't estimate the number of times I've linked to their stories... ." He goes on to dispel any thinking that the blog world can claim newspapers as a pelt.

"In the case of The Inquirer I don't think their problems have much to do with parasitic bloggers (like me, I guess) nit-picking stories to death... . I'd like to think that the more blogs talk about a paper, the more attention is paid to it, and the more sales would improve."

His bottom line:

"Even if the blogosphere consisted entirely of raving right-wing news parasites, it is not in the interest of any parasite to have its host die... . "

My thanks to Daniel -- not just for the kind words, but for sharing my thoughts in hard copy with people who'd otherwise not have read them. (That is something ordinary bloggers cannot do without help.) I got a kick out of the characterization too. I never thought of myself as "right-of-left," because I spend more time trying to figure out the constantly shifting sands (maybe more of a swirling whirlpool) of what's called left and what's called right than I do worrying about which "side" I'm on. But I think right of left is a pretty fair description of where I find myself most of the time. (Except in those cases where I seem to be left of right -- or left out of right.)

My worry about the Inquirer's declining readership relates to the importance of literacy, and I'm glad to see signs that the blogosphere and the MSM are in basic agreement on what is a vital concern by any standard.

posted by Eric on 09.24.05 at 10:46 AM





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Comments

Congratulations! And well deserved as that post was excellent. Excellently put, too.

Harkonnendog   ·  September 25, 2005 01:15 AM

Thank you! I appreciate it.

Eric Scheie   ·  September 25, 2005 10:23 PM


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