The creative destruction argument makes sense but the "musty traditions" line stuck with me. Legacy institutions cling to outdated practices specifically becuase they can't adapt fast enough, then collapse happens all at once rather than gradually. That dynamic plays out everywhere, not just journalism.
Great work, Rick! While I feel sad about WaPo's decline, this is the first analysis I have read this week that talks about its crisis from a logical, business-centered, capitalist perspective. No question they made missteps, but people who wish for Bezos to be a permanent sugar daddy for WaPo should think about unintended consequences.
I wonder what motivated him to buy it in the first place. It seems paradoxical to his character in general. He was pretty hands off until this last election.
I just think he is in the wrong business an he should have stayed were he belongs. Amazon is not a newspaper business and, the Washington Post is not a retailer.I just wish we could get a few billionaires to go back to the business they started with an forget about political issues.
The creative destruction argument makes sense but the "musty traditions" line stuck with me. Legacy institutions cling to outdated practices specifically becuase they can't adapt fast enough, then collapse happens all at once rather than gradually. That dynamic plays out everywhere, not just journalism.
Great work, Rick! While I feel sad about WaPo's decline, this is the first analysis I have read this week that talks about its crisis from a logical, business-centered, capitalist perspective. No question they made missteps, but people who wish for Bezos to be a permanent sugar daddy for WaPo should think about unintended consequences.
I wonder what motivated him to buy it in the first place. It seems paradoxical to his character in general. He was pretty hands off until this last election.
I just think he is in the wrong business an he should have stayed were he belongs. Amazon is not a newspaper business and, the Washington Post is not a retailer.I just wish we could get a few billionaires to go back to the business they started with an forget about political issues.