Les Kelloucq en voyage

My media diet

I hit me on my first day back here in the sunny Bay Area. The San Francisco Chronicle I picked up in the driveway was just a shadow of itself, an anaemic version of the newspaper for which I was a correspondent in Paris when we moved there in the late 1990s. This sad state of affair should not surprise me because I know firsthand that the print media is hurting badly. And because my former editor there, who since then wisely abandoned journalism for his first passion of music, has been telling me for years about the millions the paper keeps losing steadfastly. I was not surprised, but I was still shocked especially after I opened the paper and still enjoyed reading it as much as ever. It was like seeing a sick friend after a long time and the disease just can’t be ignored any more.

I belong to a generation addicted to paper and I make a living from journalism. Yet I get more and more of my news online and for free. How can I justify my behavior? I confess that I get my daily dose of  The New York Times in my email inbox, not in my driveway. The digital way is the only practical way when we are in Paris. But of course, I am also very happy to enjoy this great paper without spending a dime. Tough times ahead for the print media and for serious reporting, I am afraid, and I am part of the problem.

The other news was more cheerful, if only slightly so. On that first day, I also found a fundraising letter from KQED in the mailbox at our rented house. It was addressed to us, EJ specifically. KQED, my favorite radio station which I tune to in Paris over the Internet once in a while for a shot of American news, is hurting for money with many regular donors deserting it in those dire times. I can’t forever mooch off without paying my dues and life here without KQED would not be the same. Guess what, KQED? The check is the mail.

kelloucq le 27.08.09 à 22:45 dans Actualités -
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