The trouble with (modern) journalism

Extremely thoughtful New York Review of Books review by Russell Baker of five books on the parlous state of modern journalism — especially the way it has been perverted by corporate needs. “The history of journalism is quite clear about what makes the difference between great and mediocre papers: it is the quality of their ownership. Reporters and editors may disagree, but no matter how splendid the quality of an editorial staff, a publisher too timid, too indifferent, or too chintzy to support it will produce a timid, indifferent, and, at best, second-rate paper.”