Closure of Editor & Publisher Highlights Perilous State of Media

by lisa ~ December 14, 2009

 Dec. 14, 2009 - Nielsen Business Media announced its decision last week to shutter Editor & Publisher, the unrelenting chronicler of the newspaper industry and a champion of journalistic ethics. Anyone who missed the avalanche of signs portending the demise of classical journalism should deservedly be crushed under the weight of this latest one.

E&P reporter Shawn Moynihan covered the news here. PoynterOnline has the full memo from Nielsen president Greg Farrar here.

When I was a journalism student, I eagerly anticipated receiving each issue. The breadth of its coverage whispered to me of the seemingly infinite possibilities of my chosen career. Jobs were plentiful from New York to California and London to Latvia. As an intern at a Gannett Co. newspaper, I felt that I was part of a wonderful community.

Although it directly impacts only a small segment of PR professionals who represent the media industry, the closure of E&P should be recognized - and, indeed, mourned - by every one of us who depend on the continued survival of a principled, autonomous press in the U.S.

Lisa Tibbitts is the principal of Tibbitts Creative, a public relations and marketing service that emphasizes corporate communications. She has an extensive background in financial services and an MBA in marketing. Follow her on Twitter: http://twitter.com/FinancialPR.

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