It used to be that on the afternoon of an election like the one we’re having today in North Carolina, the Associated Press’ wire carried a story with a lot of “what to look for tonight” and demographic information, plus quotes from state-based political experts.
Parts, but usually not much, of the story appeared the next day in hundreds of newspapers across America .
However, the AP’s story often served as the major "information base” for opinion columnists and editorialists at local newspapers.
They put on their “pundit hats” and "explained" to their credulous readers “the results in North Carolina.”
No matter that the columnists and editors knew almost nothing in the AP's story before they read it. It was just "read it, rewrite it and print it."
Anyway, the kind of story the AP used to “feed” to its subscriber newsrooms appeared this afternoon.
But not anywhere on the AP wire that I could find.
But I did find “the story” here at the new “Net political newspaper” – www.politico.com.
Take a look at it.
I think Politico.com, in which I have no financial interest, today gave the “old media” AP a “move over” push.
What do you think?
4 comments:
Obama has won again tonight.
If not for Rev. Wright he would have obliterated Hillary Clinton even worse.
That controversy took away some white votes. In the beginning he was getting the white male vote in great numbers.
Can you reference an example of the type of AP story you're talking about? I recall no such thing, and I've been an avid consumer of news for many years.
Anon 12:31
Decent newspapers used to write the kind of story John's talking about. The AP would pick them up.
Most newspapers today don't have reporters expert enough to do that kind of story. So they go with easy gender and race pieces. Just interview Harry and Sallie down at the coffee shop.
John,
I agree with you.
Michael Barone still does what you're talking about.
He's great at it. But it's hard, time-consuming work of the kind most newspapers today won't support.
Alex
As a journalist, it makes me sad to say that.
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