Do we have a duty, as writers, journalists, and media people, to read the newspaper every day? Some people think the new media shift has turned all of us into thoughtless, uninformed citizens.
Responding to a Poynter Institute article entitled "Your Duty to Read the Paper," Steve Yelvington begs to differ:
"Quit blaming the Internet. There's nothing wrong with paper. It's your journalism that isn't relevant ... I've previously described how newspapers don't have an online revenue problem, but rather an online audience problem. Just to put a point on it: I spent today with yet another newspaper new-media director whose biggest problem is sold-out ad inventory. The site needs people and pageviews."
How do we tell me interesting and gripping stories to find those new readers? Journalist superhero Carl Bernstein says we should be working around the clock to report our stories better.
Finally, Conversational Reading has a guest essay by Joshua Henkin about the fine art of writing about writers. It's a difficult style, but this is some of the most practical advice I've ever read about the meta-noveling.