I was hoping Rupert Murdoch’s speech on why “The future of journalism is more promising than ever” would read like a 1940 speech about the beauty of Poland, but it’s actually a battle anthem challenging editors to stop being such sissies.
He says to “innovate like never before”: Like he did when he saw a conservative market and started Fox News, editors need to create a new kind of journalism that reaches people. More importantly, they have to actually like it.
Now, I never intended to actually like the guy who created the Fox News Plague, but at least the guy’s got huevos. And I respect the fact that he actually cares enough about his product (The Wall Street Journal) to charge people to read it. Getting paid a decent amount for your work–Isn’t that a novel idea?
So if good journalism is like vegetables, instead of self-righteously playing “mom” and forcing them down consumers’ throats, we could figure out a way to coat them with butter. Tastes like candy, but still gives you vitamins. (Forget about the heart attack.)
