Nothing is Impervious

Journalism has been drowning for quite a while now, with many of the best newspapers now only kitty litter. But I never considered the fact that the recession and our society's lack of appreciation for quality journalism to touch rock journalism, let alone my favorite independent magazine, Paste. However, a few days ago, I got a desperate plea in my inbox. It looked something like this: www.pastemagazine.com/savepaste

I've been a long supporter of saving our nation's journalism, going more drastic than most in my call for action. I think that instead of helping out major auto corporations that chose to ignore the need to design fuel-efficient cars, the government should help save the fourth estate instead. You can find my opinion here (albeit I wrote this literally the day the newspaper was published in about 15 minutes).
Nonetheless, I'm not sure what I feel about a desperate plea. Paste has always been a different sort of medium that cares more about its readers and indeed has more of a relationship with them, which is very admirable. Ignoring whatever mixed feelings I may have about the plea, the fact that it is needed is deeply troubling. Journalism may fail to continue in print form, but if it ever diminishes in quality or quantity of media, we have a major problem.

Even if this is a "frivolous" entertainment magazine, it plays a major role in the promotion of art, culture, and music, and provides a voice. A society without voices is nothing. Or maybe it's a totalitarian government. This seems extreme, but I assure you that it is not. The demise of journalism is a major issue today and one that we should all be caring about much more.

I may not be writing my check to the magazine, but I've been a devoted reader for three years and am currently unemployed. I'm not sure that writing checks is the answer, but I don't know what is. I just hope that our government begins to see the significance of this issue.