When I saw this story about twenty-somethings who (gasp!) don’t use Facebook featured on The Washington Post Web site this morning, I didn’t click on it because, frankly, it felt kind of familiar.
Now from blogger Ben Somberg comes an explanation for that feeling—this is the fifteenth time the Post has put Facebook on its front page since fall 2006 (and he’s got the links to prove it).
Somerberg’s reading of the story sounds about right: “It’s alright, though I don’t see exactly what it adds… It belongs inside, not on Page 1.” One suspects, though, that a factor other than editorial judgment may be playing a role here—though whether it’s “We do too get youth culture!” or “Please post this Facebook-related story on your Facebook page!” is hard to say.
Greg Marx is an associate editor at CJR. Follow him on Twitter @gregamarx.