A number of years ago I was the program chairperson for the Detroit Rotary Club. Being in Detroit, we had access to many major people of influence. On one occasion we invited the new editor and chief of the Detroit News-Free Press to come and speak to our club. He accepted and came and spoke to our group of business people. At the end of his talk he asked if there were any questions. One attorney in the group asked, “Why is it that your newspaper paints such a negative picture of the city of Detroit?”
The speaker, somewhat surprised by the question, took a step back, gathered his thoughts, stepped forward and gave this answer. “Well you see, what we do in our business is report on things that are unique. It just so happens that just about everything in Detroit that is unique is negative.”
That was his answer. Bad news sells; sad but true. It seems that the news media, be it, television, radio, on-line print or hard copy has a purpose, and that is to get as many people as possible to view, listen or read their news. The higher their subscription rate, the higher the fees that they will be able to charge their advertising clients.
It is not about providing the “news.” It is about providing the kind of news people will read.
Tom Borg Consulting, LLC
works with public schools to help them increase student retention and minimize
student attrition. They do this through their consulting and training programs
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