Our daily newspaper — the failing SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE (“the U-T”) — just closed down a major function for a newspaper — the online comments from readers of the paper.
Ostensibly, it was a cost-cutting decision. But they lie.
They not only stopped posting comments. The paper ERASED the HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of carefully screened comments from ALL U-T articles available online dating back decades!
They KNEW what they were doing. The paper erased some of San Diego’s history for no economic reason.
Not PRINTING letters to the editor would be an understandable business decision. But it costs the paper NOTHING to allow reader comments online.
A robust comments section honoring the intent of the First Amendment could continue — if the paper actually FAVORED free speech. They don’t.
The paper’s editors have never liked reader comments, because such comments are OVERWHELMINGLY critical of the paper. Articulate critics (yes, I’m one) take the U-T to the woodshed for a whippin’ every time they run their woke, biased screeds masquerading as “news.”
I’d guess reader comments are well, WERE) at least 4 to 1 opposing their left wing positions as reflected in their articles and op-eds — which is particularly impressive since San Diego voters now vote lockstep Democratic.
Face it. A newspaper’s primary remaining audience is older people. Yes, it’s predominately older white people who lean to the right on issues. The people who PAY for a subscription.
Like most big city papers today, the U-T caters to the designated “oppressed” groups. The paper’s op-ed “community” group is drawn predominantly from whiners representing these groups. The op-ed authors are self-proclaimed “community leaders” who blame everyone for their plight but themselves. But unfortunately for the U-T, most of the members of such favored groups seldom read newspapers — print or online. Let alone SUBSCRIBE.
In essence, the biggest obstacle to the U-T’s success as a business venture is its own editors and reporters! They are committing journalistic suicide by alienating their paying customers.
After almost 50 years reading the U-T, It’s time for my wife and I to finally end our (now online) U-T subscription. I can get my liberally biased news (and better investigative stories) free from the admittedly liberal-biased VOICE OF SAN DIEGO, along with other local online news sources with more varying points of view.