Martin writes “In a long, thoughtful and partially autobiographical essay, a former editor of the Los Angeles Times Book Review reflects on the current decline in and dismal outlook for literary book reviews in American newspapers.
“For many writers, [the] threat to the nation’s delicate ecology of literary and cultural life is cause for considerable alarm. . . . Others, equally passionate, dismiss these concerns as exaggerations, the overblown reaction of latter-day Luddites vainly resisting the new world order now upon us. They foresee — indeed, welcome — an inevitable if difficult adaptation and seek to free themselves of the nostalgia for a past that never was. Newspapers, in this view, are at long last taking steps, however painful, toward a revivified cultural blossoming.”
Here is link. http://www.cjr.org/cover_story/goodbye_to_all_that _1.php?page=all (BYW, the reference to Kryptonite comes in the final paragraph of the article.)”
From the article….
In discussing the LA Times ideas to rework their book page:
The paper also promised to increase the number and prominence of illustrations and photographs, neglecting to note that doing so would further reduce the space allotted for actual words.
Space alloted for actual words??? This is why the paper newspaper should die. Why are we worrying about if we have enough space to have a picture and words? Because we want to print it out on paper and drive it all around the city in trucks. Just put the information online and if you wanted to have a 10,000 word story with thirty pictures you can.