Slashdot Mirror
Wall Street Journal To Cut Back Print Outside the US (ft.com)
The Wall Street Journal plans to discontinue production of print edition outside the United States in what is the latest testament that popularity of print is waning and it is no longer as lucrative for news outlets to maintain print editions of their journalism. From a Financial Times report: The print edition of the business and finance newspaper, which is owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp, will no longer be available in Europe (paywalled; alternative source), according to two people briefed on the plans. Free copies and unprofitable hotel "amenity deals," where hotels buy bulk copies at a discount, are also being scrapped. However, Dow Jones, the News Corp division that owns the Journal, is debating whether to continue mailing copies to subscribers who still want a physical paper. It is pursuing a similar approach in Asia but is in talks with a partner about a print joint venture that would continue distribution in one big market there, according to the people with knowledge of the discussions. In Australia some Wall Street Journal pages are available as an insert in The Australian, another Murdoch-owned paper.
To the extent that the news business' ownership became corporate, it became a business solely steered to no-longer report "the news" but to offer innuendo and so-called commentary.
This approach killed serious news reporting. You have papers that report world events from their respective government angle, even when they may not be entirely government controlled.
It's sad folks.
Do you folks remember the so called weapons of mass destruction? Had news outlets been offering real news, questions would have been asked, and the truth realized.
How about what's happening in the mid-east? How about here at home? People are having to deal with tainted water and prospects of unemployment, but outlets focus on non stories like the "Russian connection" to our president.
Even when reporters are caught (on hidden camera), "telling the real truth", none of these outlets dedicate time to such events.
People like me and many others see these things and unsubscribe. I am happy that they are reducing circulation. Maybe they will see what I see and re-start reporting actual news.