momorantings

Just a few thoughts on the changing landscape of arts journalism... Content aggregation vs. reporting. As newsroom staffs are being cut, an alarming number of original source reporting outlets are shifting to content aggregation. Very few media outlets now have dedicated full-time reporters that are assigned to the arts. With an increase in content aggregation and a decrease in original reporting, editorial power is shifting to the fewer outlets that are creating content which in turn feeds the increasing number of aggregators. Just a short time ago, it used to be that a significant story would be covered by several local and national outlets, allowing a well-rounded view of the story to emerge. Today, whatever the view of the originating source becomes the defacto view of aggregating outlets, thereby often times giving a single reporter the responsibility of judge, jury and executioner. That said, I have found that there are some journalists who aggregate content, and then editorial...

A spokesman for the British Hospitality Association recently justified the fact that some luxury hotels charge more for wi-fi by claiming that affluent guests are less likely to complain about the cost. “It's a commercial decision, and entirely up to the hotel,” he said. “Many owners regard wi-fi charges as a legitimate revenue source, and considering the size of some hotels, it can be a very lucrative one.” There are two things to say to that: The person whose tweet alerted me to the article is the founder of a very successful company who was unhappy about such charges on a trip to Australia. He noticed, he complained and then he publicised the fact. As soon as you start thinking of customers as revenue sources, you're placing the extraction of money ahead of good value service provision. Those customers will quickly notice that your priorities are diverging from theirs and they will divert their money to those of a more customer-focussed competitor. Everything a business doe...