Terry Teachout notes The Washington Post will continue book coverage only online and reminds us of this prediction. “It is the destiny of serious arts journalism to migrate to the Web.” I can’t foresee any counter-argument to this.

No, the Internet is not for that thing–I don’t even want to type it–but as you’re aware, there is a lot of it out there. That’s at least one reason, maybe the biggest reason, the Playboy company is showing reduced profits. The company produces more than just the magazine, but to focus on that part of it, subscriptions are down to 2.7 million now. Similar magazine appear to be down as well, though there numbers are only in the thousands. As Carl Trueman points out, Playboy’s decline isn’t a reason for cheer. It is only the decline of our popular culture.

Our decline isn’t only that photos from indecent to raunchy are available online for free. It’s also the abundance of celebrity gossip. The other day I was thinking of writing Fox News in an effort to make the case against their celebrity news coverage. Why does it call for so much media attention? I don’t want to see any more headlines about the Pitt-Jolie-Aniston thing. I don’t want to be aware that some actor said something revealing in some interview I would have missed had it not been for news flashes and clumps of headlines on a web page. I saw something about Hugh Hefner losing and regaining a girl to sleep with–that’s nasty. Why is that news?

Most people (87%) appear to agree that we see and hear too much of it, and I think it contributes to the sexualization or maybe the pornographizing of the exposed. Continue reading The Internet is for Gossip →

The Times said, “White House Philosophy Stoked Mortgage Bonfire.” The White House replies that the Times wrote the story they wanted to write, spot-quoting only those words that supported their prejudice.

I’ve always thought Brit Hume was a cut above the rest in the national press. Today, I learn he is moving on to other things. The news is a little old, but I just read it. In Reuters interview with Hume, he says, “I was kind of a nominal Christian for the longest time. When my son died (by suicide in 1998), I came to Christ in a way that was very meaningful to me. If a person is a Christian and tries to face up to the implications of what you say you believe, it’s a pretty big thing. If you do it part time, you’re not really living it.”

Liberals just go ahead and write my fiction for me.

Heard about that St. Olaf College professor who bragged on the Huffington Post about stealing people’s McCain/Palin signs?

He’s “resigned” from the college now. Some things go over the line, even for mainline Lutheran colleges.

Busse provided the Northfield News with a statement expressing some remorse for his criminal acts, but said “I’m disappointed that most readers [of his Huffpo piece] seem to have focused on the thefts, and not on the larger thoughts” of civil disobedience.

“Laws? Laws are more important than ‘larger thoughts’ in the real world? Who knew?” (Hat tip: Townhall.com)

Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) wants to reinstate The Fairness Doctrine. I believe that is the Democratic Party position also. Sen. Bingamen said, “I would want this station and all stations to have to present a balanced perspective and different points of view instead of always hammering away at one side of the political . . . I guess my thought is that talk radio and media generally should have a higher calling than just reflect a particular point of view. I think they should use their authority to try to – their broadcast power to present an informed discussion of public issues.”

But as you may already know, when they say “talk radio,” they really mean Rush Limbaugh.

Novelist Orson Scott Card, “a Democrat and a newspaper columnist” dares to mention the emperor’s distinct lack of clothing in a Mormon publication today:

This housing crisis didn’t come out of nowhere. It was not a vague emanation of the evil Bush administration.

It was a direct result of the political decision, back in the late 1990s, to loosen the rules of lending so that home loans would be more accessible to poor people. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were authorized to approve risky loans.

Orson, I’d upgrade my home security if I were you.

(Hat tip: Blue Crab Boulevard)