Blogoland

I'm a Boston University graduate, which entitles me to a free (or $30,000) copy of Bostonia, my only link to Phil Spinks, the sole member of my class who regularly writes to the "Class Notes" section of the magazine.

But the Fall issue of the mag, which I only got around to reading just now, includes this thumb-sucker from Dan Kennedy, a Boston Phoenix media scribe and fellow alum (who knew?) Anyway, it bemoans the lack of interest in newspapers and boring old-media from those i-Pod wielding youngens. The best line is from an associate dean of the College of Communications, you know, the place where you learn how to report the news and stuff.

COM Associate Dean Tobe Berkovitz knows plenty of students who do follow the news — and he sees it as part of his job to prod those who don’t. More than anything, Berkovitz laments the dumbing-down of the news, believing newspapers and other media will have more success attracting and keeping customers if they give people what they need, and not just what they think they want. “I think you have to offer them hard news and stick with it during those years in the desert when your circulation and ratings are low. And hope that quality will win out,” he says. “Does anybody have the guts and the dollars to hang tough for a long time? I believe that in the long run, you have to put your faith in the American
people.”

Plenty of students who follow the news? What's that? 50 percent? 20? What are these kids doing in a communications school if they're not following the news? Yikes.