I am glad, the fawning coverage of Art Basel in the Miami Herald is bound to taper off, after today or tomorrow. What would I prefer? Some critical, informative coverage rather than celebrity sightings or party reviews.
At any rate, soon I might not be reading anything at all from the city's only daily newspaper. The Miami Herald is on the verge of retreating behind a paid-only web availability. It is shutting itself to paid subscribers in bold move. A Last Stand. It will invite competition from other news sources that don't share its legacy cost burdens.
The paper's hemmoraging fortunes are not strictly the fault of the internet and readers trusting other non-pay websites.
In the case of McClatchy and The Miami Herald: the cause is debt. McClatchy, to the Herald's former owners and shareholders, was like the Art Basel billionaire playing with house money and the former Herald shareholders, and executives who benefited from profit sharing compensation packages, were like gallery owners touting art objects priced in the millions.
How much damage was done to the public interest, when Miami Herald owners and top shareholders and executives in profit sharing glommed onto the housing boom that resulted, finally, in the biggest crash since the Great Depression? That is so, yesterday's news.
It is a disputable point, and in main part, the same as the one raised by Jorge Perez -- the real estate developer who was too big to fail notwithstanding the wreckage he stood behind of downtown Miami and Miami politics -- in the New York Times today, "In Miami, Using the South American Playbook".
Perez, in the Times, registers surprise at the asset flipping that happened during the speculative wave that wrecked Miami's chances to emerge from its status as a fly-by destination.
Walking-away-from history is a common thread in Miami. It is a city sustained by forgetful-ness. This is not going to be apparent or even of importance to the buyers of real estate from Latin and South America whose reverse migration is wholly accountable for propping up the city from confronting exactly what the speculators did to Miami during the housing boom.
On days the Herald is good, it can be very good. When it's not, you can read the entire paper in less time than it takes to read this blog post.
The role of The Miami Herald is less like the sun that lights our day than the obstacle that blocks our view of the sea.
I pay for The New York Times, daily. The paper is indispensable, because it offers critical coverage of news and events. I can't find that in The Miami Herald on most days, and because of its on-and-off character -- when the paper disappears from open access on the web -- I am divided about what to do.
At any rate, soon I might not be reading anything at all from the city's only daily newspaper. The Miami Herald is on the verge of retreating behind a paid-only web availability. It is shutting itself to paid subscribers in bold move. A Last Stand. It will invite competition from other news sources that don't share its legacy cost burdens.
The paper's hemmoraging fortunes are not strictly the fault of the internet and readers trusting other non-pay websites.
In the case of McClatchy and The Miami Herald: the cause is debt. McClatchy, to the Herald's former owners and shareholders, was like the Art Basel billionaire playing with house money and the former Herald shareholders, and executives who benefited from profit sharing compensation packages, were like gallery owners touting art objects priced in the millions.
How much damage was done to the public interest, when Miami Herald owners and top shareholders and executives in profit sharing glommed onto the housing boom that resulted, finally, in the biggest crash since the Great Depression? That is so, yesterday's news.
It is a disputable point, and in main part, the same as the one raised by Jorge Perez -- the real estate developer who was too big to fail notwithstanding the wreckage he stood behind of downtown Miami and Miami politics -- in the New York Times today, "In Miami, Using the South American Playbook".
Perez, in the Times, registers surprise at the asset flipping that happened during the speculative wave that wrecked Miami's chances to emerge from its status as a fly-by destination.
Walking-away-from history is a common thread in Miami. It is a city sustained by forgetful-ness. This is not going to be apparent or even of importance to the buyers of real estate from Latin and South America whose reverse migration is wholly accountable for propping up the city from confronting exactly what the speculators did to Miami during the housing boom.
On days the Herald is good, it can be very good. When it's not, you can read the entire paper in less time than it takes to read this blog post.
The role of The Miami Herald is less like the sun that lights our day than the obstacle that blocks our view of the sea.
I pay for The New York Times, daily. The paper is indispensable, because it offers critical coverage of news and events. I can't find that in The Miami Herald on most days, and because of its on-and-off character -- when the paper disappears from open access on the web -- I am divided about what to do.
16 comments:
To cover Miami I will pay for the Miami Herald. I need it.
the herald needs the money to continue to fund a fulltime reporter to run a gay news blog. talk about misplaced priorities!
Please take your homophobia elsewhere. Face it: you lost the culture wars.
Gimleteye:
The Miami Herald contacted 1,000 voters for its story today on Absentee Ballot Rejection. Only a newspaper can do that kind of research. I think we should support our local newspaper even if it is not great. Not supporting the local paper is akin to cutting off your nose to spite your face.
Peggy, go take your homophobia elsewhere. Gay news is very important, certainly more important than investigative journalism. Eye on Miami can sufficiently handle investigations of political corruption. The Herald is the only source for our gay news.
Thank you Ru Paul and anonymous.
Sadly the Miami Herald is a shell of its former self. The beginning of the end for this newspaper (with 20 Pulitzer's) was in 2005 when Jim DeFede was fired. We know who got the last laugh on that one.
I subscribe to their Sat & Sun editions, just dont have to time to look at print during the week.
I removed your comment as you are off subject. This post is not about gay issues. Enough already with twisting the subject to gay centered issues.
No more money for you Miami Herald, said the soup Nazi.
Gimleteye is correct the quality does not justify the expense.
The Miami Herald always treats lobbyists with kid gloves. If you google the name of a lobbyist only Miami New Times or Eye on Miami shows up. The only press The Herald gives lobbyists is space for other view or op eds. Rarely do you see a negative story or a photos on Miami's power brokers.. They let them remain in the shadows.
I subscribe to the Sunday only Miami Herald. I hope that buys me digital access, like my subscription to the NyTimes does.
The Herald could imProve much by writing angrier editorials. Really.
It will change the landscape here in Miami. We have always operated with shared news, and collectively moved on from there. I am not so sure what it means to have fractured news, or some people having comprehensive news, and others only pieces. Have you thought about expanding this site? Some people will have to look for alternative sources for local news and make adjustments.
Al Crespo scoops the Herald by 1 to 3 days.
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