Journalistic Slavery

Catchy title, eh?

Yeah, I hoped it would grab your attention.

Journalistic slavery is a new term I just came up with but it's based off of a very interesting article on the cover of Time Magazine written by Walter Isaacson who thinks newspapers made a mistake by putting everything on the Internet for free. (Watch hilarity ensue as Jon Stewart of The Daily Show interviews him.)

Isaacson states a little-known fact: newspapers and magazines are more popular than ever. Everyone is reading them. They just happen to be reading them on line for free.

The masses are getting mentally rich off of our labor, labor we're practically not being paid for.

Yep! I think that's close enough to a definition of slavery.

And just as we've been stating in class, Isaacson reminds us that this journalistic slavery is meaning the death of international, national, state and local coverage.

And just as I suggested in class (sans an actual plan to put this proposal into action), Isaacson agrees, our work should not be on-line for free.

....I really love it when people agree with me....but he has a plan: Micro-fees like iTune charges.

But Stewart makes a great point, "Can we really take away something that we used to give for free and start charging for it?"

Damn. I wish someone would've thought about that years ago.