John Hartigan’s Punchy attack on new media – Crikey

John Hartigan’s Punchy attack on new media – Crikey


A story by Bernard Keane @ Crikey discusses the below:

"News Ltd CEO John Hartigan has used a National Press Club address this afternoon to launch a savage attack on online media while threatening to close News Ltd’s Press Gallery offices and focus less on “the politics of politics” and more on “hyper-local news” such as shopping and traffic information...Hartigan attacked sites such as Crikey which, he claimed, have little original content and offer only commentary on mainstream media publications, before going on to spruik News Ltd’s new comment website, The Punch. He also several times endorsed the views of web entrepreneur and blogging critic Andrew Keen who has called online journalism “digital narcissism” that “poisons debate”, lowers its users and fails to maintain a proper traditional distinction between journalists and readers."

It serves a good purpose to offer the other side, namely the large mainstream media editors who are looking at social media as a nuisance and not something that should be utilised for their own benefits. It also explains why print media is struggling with readership when it has such bias views on media in general and insults its readers for blogging or using social networking sites, as it "fails to maintain a proper traditional distniction between journalists and readers." Since then it seems Hartigan has more problems that blaming the bloggers for his readership levels and needs to find someone else to blame for his ill-management of the Melbourne Storm also.