Will the death of journalism mean the end of democracy? The newest issue of Mother Jones provides us with a rundown of depressing statistics about the state of media:
– 43% of Americans say it would hurt civil life “a lot” if their local newspapers closed. Yet when asked if they’d miss their paper, 42% say “not much” or “not at all.”
– By one estimate, an entirely Web-based New York Times could generate only enough money to support about 20% of the paper’s current staff.
– The editor of the New York Times Magazine says a typical cover story costs more than $40,000 to produce–and that excludes editing, art, and fact-checking.That’s more than Mother Jones’ story budget for freelance writers for an entire issue.
– The top 10% of bloggers earn an average of $19,000 a year. For all bloggers, the median is $200 for men, $100 for women.
Source:Mother Jones(article not yet available online)
