There are a number of articles worth reading in the latest edition of Commonwealth magazine, but one in particular details the declines of accountability journalism and in the number of reporters on the fourth floor of the State House.
The kicker quote comes from former Globe editor Matt Storin: “Right now, the public doesn’t understand they’ve lost anything.”
That the public doesn’t understand something is hardly surprising. Poll after poll lays out its ignorance pretty well. More people have better knowledge of “The Simpsons” television show than the Supreme Court.
A State House aide once relayed this scene from a “town hall” style forum his boss held: The constituent sauntered up to the microphone and said, “When you get back to Washington…”
This isn’t anything new, either. In the book “Common Ground,” a Globe editor put it this way to his son, also a Globe editor, in a brief memo: “You’ll have to watch now that we don’t give space to politics at cost of other material. Only 13 percent read politics as against 79 percent who read human interest, women’s stuff and sports.”
That 13 percent figure is close to the percentage of voters expected to turn out in the Nov. 8 municipal election.
It’s clear more people, particularly those whiny readers who get upset over a “negative” story in a newspaper, want funny animal stories and the sports section instead of what’s happening on Capitol Hill or Beacon Hill on a regular basis. If the public really was interested in more political coverage, there would be many more reporters in the press rooms of the State House and City Hall.
As The Boston Phoenix’s David Bernstein blogged a few months ago: “The only market for political journalism is the niche audiences that, over a national scope (and thanks to national economies of scale), can be raked together into a profitable audience – not much different from a Food Network or Sci-Fi Channel.” That’s very true, and it’s one of the reasons the State House News Service, a niche wire service behind a paywall, does well. (Full disclosure: More than a few of my bylines have appeared behind said wall.)
Of course, there is an upside to writing for a smaller group: The niche audience will be more aware of where their elected official works when they click over to the website. More so than the public at large, at least.
