The rock star and humanitarian has been asked to write occasional Op-Eds for the Gray Lady, according to today's NYT. Catherine J. Mathis, a spokeswoman for The New York Times Company, said, "We have asked Bono to write an occasional column for the paper next year, covering a range of subjects, but are still finalizing the details."
Will that be enough? Bono (a hero, along with JP2, who was also a fan of U2's front man--and his wraparound shades) can save Africa, but newspapers may be a tougher cause. Also in today's Times, a report that the company's earnings are down 51 percent. Yikes. This is bad for the Times, but a symptom of the meltdown in a reading culture as well as the transition from "old media" to online media. I straddle both, but am a dinosaur, I guess, in that there's nothing like getting the paper every morning with a cup of coffee.
Heck, Bono beats William Kristol...
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Will someone please hit Bono in the face with a whipped cream pie?
I don't know if Bono as a columnist will help shore-up the Times bottom line, but at least he'll being writing for no pay, according to MTV. The Times editorial-page editor Andrew Rosenthal told students at Columbia University's Journalism School that he was considering whether to ask Queen guitarist Brian May to also write some pieces for the paper. The report siad that May has a doctorate in astrophysics. Whoa!
You know, of course, the Times isn't the only newspaper in trouble. Analysts believe even sharper drops in advertising revenues will occur during the usually lucrative holiday season. What I think is amazing is what Anick Jesdanun wrote in the Business Week piece, "Newspaper companies face pressure from all sides."
"To save the holidays, newspaper companies are counting on advertisers simply placing their ads at the last minute, once they have a better handle on consumer confidence," wrote Jesdanun.
How do YOU say "denial?" How can they possibly count on last minute expenditures to save their fourth-quarter bottom line? Who else can they get to write free columns?
Sharon McEachern
www.ethicsoup.com
Gosh, instead of Bono, maybe the NYT could attempt a return to hiring journalists who investigate and write a story based on facts. It works better than hiring writers who decide on the story and then work up the facts to meet the case.
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