Journalism becoming a consumer product

JOURNALISM BECOMING A CONSUMER PRODUCT
[SOURCE: Miami Herald, AUTHOR: Edward Wasserman edward_wasserman@hotmail.com]
[Commentary] Online journalism appears to be headed towards toward handing over tighter and much more precise influence over editorial content to the outside people who write the checks: the new order of online news is calibrated journalism. Under the new rules, the commercial value of specific editorial offerings is estimated with precision, rewards and punishments doled out accordingly, and coverage cut to fit. Of course, we're used to seeing well-loved offerings on commercial media dumped if they don't pull enough people -- or enough of the right people - to keep advertisers satisfied. That's how network TV works. Still, although network executives re-jigger their Tuesday prime time lineup to please advertisers, editors aren't supposed to redraw their Tuesday front page for the same reason. The journalism business has been different. Although news and commentary offer a setting both for public discourse and sales pitches, traditional ad-supported journalism has worked despite that disharmony, as long as editorial content is passably free of corruption.
http://www.miamiherald.com/430/story/369434.html