“Not really,” was the reply.
This is roughly what internal communications at The Audit are like. Me: “Please, Sir, might we interface for a few moments sometime soon to share ideas and exchange views about the large issues of the day? You know, chew the fat, blue-sky about this and that, run things up the old flag pole, perhaps think a bit?” Dean: “Think? About what? Keep typing, helot.”
And so I type. But my lame jokes aren’t so amusing in light of the growing body of mini-memoirs sprouting up around the Web about life down on the content farm, including Nicholas Spangler’s piece last year for CJR and Jessanne Collins’s for The Awl, which pulled this gem from Demand Media’s manifesto:
“We aren’t here to break news, lay out editorial opinion, or investigate the latest controversy. Our audience tells us they want incredibly specific information and we deliver exactly that —in a style that the average consumer appreciates and understands.”
The Demand Medias and AOLs are the logical result of a digital arms race triggered by the harsh realities of a Web marketplace that makes it all but impossible to make money doing serious journalism. The Awl and a few others are trying to fight the race to the bottom, but that Demand quote shows what we’re all up against.
* I added “earlier this year” here to answer a reader comment on when The AOL Way document came to light
the "when" of this is missing. Did the boy >just leave
Not to detract from the horror, just want to know how current that "AOL Way" doc is, and whether it applies to PatchPo/Hufftch
#1 Posted by Edward Ericson Jr., CJR on Mon 20 Jun 2011 at 06:26 PM
Edward,
Sorry, I dropped a link in there to the original Business Insider scoop. Added that and a few words to clarify. The BI story was in February.
#2 Posted by Ryan Chittum, CJR on Mon 20 Jun 2011 at 07:34 PM
Are you trying to tell us something, @Ryan? Say it ain't so!
Dean: ... I should go on record as being pro-productivity. I’m for squeezing every last ounce from every last lazy, lucky-to-have-a-job reporter. I’m an editor, too, you know. Reporters and their “but we need time to look into stuff”—wah, wah.
OT: I hope poor Oliver gets a writing job, soon. He should try one of the news wires, what with his speed writing experience. AP and AFP do care what writes. Ten to thirty 300-word stories a day, minimum. Also, Politico likes those speed-writers, and they really don't care what you write as long as it gets page hits. You have to get up earlier than Mikey, though. And TPM is hiring a couple reporters right now; Josh cares what you write, but the pace is, eh, frenetic. And if you can do a credible anti-Obama, the right will hire you even if you can't write at a third-grade level. Just make shit up, they don't care. Or, maybe Arianna will hire him back.... With pay. Just trying to help....
#3 Posted by James, CJR on Tue 21 Jun 2011 at 07:50 AM
I'm glad you noticed my cry for help, James!
And agreed on Miller. Paying your dues means something else entirely these days, but I have a feeling he'll be all right.
#4 Posted by Ryan Chittum, CJR on Wed 22 Jun 2011 at 12:28 AM
I agree generally that the internet just speeds up the old winnowing process but AOL, HuffPo, and Demand Media are not good examples to illustrate this. All three are jokes that make no attempt at pretending they're putting out journalism. They're just generating link bait to drive ad impressions: a decidedly stupid strategy that isn't even profitable. There will always be demand for good journalism, it's just that nobody's figured out how to put all the pieces of payment and online delivery together yet. Meanwhile, Demand Media and AOL are just old-fashioned sweatshops run by morons, and those have always existed but never last long. :)
#5 Posted by Ajay, CJR on Wed 22 Jun 2011 at 04:33 AM