Lewis Dvorkin
Forbes Magazine, which used to bill itself ‘Capitalist Tool’ now moves boldly and bravely headlong into 2003.
Unfortunately for Forbes this is 2010.
Nearly 11.
But Lewis Dvorkin’s recent column in Forbes this week, lays out in very clear terms why magazines are dying on the vine.
And they are.
Newsweek was just sold for $1.
Right on the heels of Business Week being sold for $1.
I, for one, am getting my dollar out for Forbes.
Dvorkin (who has a great track record as a journalist) boldly proclaims “a new breed of journalist” has appeared.
A single journalist can now use the ways of the Web to research, report and investigate. That same journalist can produce or find relevant photos for their stories — and video and audio, too. In real time
Jeez Lewis, this is positively embaressing.
Next you’ll be telling us you discovered this great website where you can find anything… it’s called ‘Google’.
Come on Lou!
Journalists have been working with video and online and the web since.. Oh, 2002? Maybe earlier.
Where have you been?
This is news to you?
I have 20 journalists who work for me from home. They research their own stories, report them, shoot them, edit them and upload them from home to an FTP server that gathers them all in and delivers them to an editorial hub in NY. We don’t have a newsroom. We don’t even have offices any more.
What you think is ‘amazing’ and ‘revolutionary’ frankly, we find old and tired and so obvious that I can’t believe you believe it even merits mention.
And you are a powerful guy over there at Forbes.
You’re the Chief Product Officer (whatever that means).
If you want to keep Forbes as a tool that has any value to Capitalists, then you had better get up to speed on what is happening in the world of journalism.
Otherwise, Forbes will look more like The History Channel than Capitalist Tool.
9 Comments
Nino November 26, 2010
“In the old days, it was very complicated to produce video for TV. Today, it’s pretty simple. Pretty much anyone can do it.”
Again you keep saying TV but all you have to show is YouTube, can you show us some TV programs created by VJs
Why did you deleted your explanation about your own hyperlocal news not having a web site. it sure contradicted the reason you gave in the past.
Michael Rosenblum November 27, 2010
I can’t believe you were able to get on this site. Even I can’t get on the site. It has been under MASSIVE hack attack all weekend. The thing has been down down down. In any event, yes, no videos are posted because Verizon does not want anything on FiOS1 accessible on the web. The whole idea behind FiOS1 is that ‘you can only get FiOS1 on FiOS’. They’re the boss.
Nino November 24, 2010
Sorry Michael, my mistake.
“I have 20 journalists who work for me from home”
“Pretty much anyone can do it. There are 28 billion videos posted to Youtube so far”
I was under the impression that we were talking about “professional journalists”
You still didn’t explain why there’s no web site for your own organization and none of the videos can be found on YouTube
Nino November 23, 2010
“You know, ironically, when we run the ads we generally get a few hundred responses and most of those people are pretty well qualified.”
Well qualified for what, to earn 30K a year with zero benefits? I hate to see what’s in store for those who are not well qualified. What’s your next move with cheap labor Michael, cotton fields?
I guess qualification is in the eyes of the beholder.
There’s a thread on B-roll on the Craiglist subject.
http://www.b-roll.net/forum/showthread.php?t=26491
Michael Rosenblum November 23, 2010
In our capitalist society, what people get paid is what the market will bear. In the old days, it was very complicated to produce video for TV. Today, it’s pretty simple. Pretty much anyone can do it. There are 28 billion videos posted to Youtube so far – that volume of material one would take one network 114,000 years to produce. So things have changed – and fast. Everyone and their brother knows how to make video and the gear to do it costs a pittance. This is the new world.
Nino November 23, 2010
“I have 20 journalists who work for me from home. They research their own stories, report them, shoot them, edit them and upload them from home to an FTP server that gathers them all in and delivers them to an editorial hub in NY. We don’t have a newsroom. We don’t even have offices any more.”
These are the same “Journalists” that you advertised and got from Craiglist (we have copies of your ads). Allegedly your interpretation of “professional journalists” who get paid less than an assistant manager at McDonald, with below poverty wages based on the areas cost of living. Do not get any benefits not even unemployment or workman comp, never mind health insurance or 401K.
And this is your interpretation of the future of Journalism? People incapable of earning a livable wage?
And to top it all, you’ve been pushing the web but your own operation DO NOT have a web site and with all the talk you have been doing about Youtube and all the millions of videos uploaded on the web and that being the future of videos, none the work that your own operation does is anywhere to be found.
I guess the old say of:
“Do what the preacher says and not what the preacher does” applies here.
You don’t even believe in your own preaching, and none of those 20 journalist that works for you came from your own classes, they are all new college graduates.
Again, you don’t even trust your own teaching when it comes to your revenue.
Michael Rosenblum November 23, 2010
You know, ironically, when we run the ads we generally get a few hundred responses and most of those people are pretty well qualified. It just shows you how many people can do this. Never the less, we put everyone we hire through one of our bootcamps to make sure they’re all on the same page and working in the same way.
eb November 21, 2010
Yeah, it’s not so much that “internetting” is new… it’s just that the masses are choosing not to spend their money on purchasing the old media. Nor are they spending the time needed to watch old media as much, or read old media as much.
“Value” is really going to become more and more important.
Content is king… IF and only if that content is unique and compelling.
But if your Content is the same exact content consumers can find in other places… then other values become more and more important.
Craft. Creativity. Commitment.
Convienence. Delivery method. User friendly interface.
Hip quotient? Cool factor? Sex appeal?
Etc…
The games have begun. Old dogs need to learn new tricks. The circus has competition.
That 2001 Space Oddity is passe. 😉
John D November 20, 2010
A good read!
I think you are on target with this one!