The New Republic Tries to Come Clean on Beauchamp Scandal
Great work on this story, Bob. There is a disconnect between editors of publications like TNR and, say, The S.F. Chronicle, and the business results of bad editing. The Chronicle has changed just about everything it could, from publisher to delivery times, to address the fact that it is probably the worst-performing major daily in the country as far as lost subscribers. Yet no one looks to the editor, who has remained unchanged for many years. If you market peat moss-flavored gum, and it doesn’t sell, changing the packaging and PR company and accusing competitors of conspiracy may not be the best thing – you might want to think about how no one likes the flavor. So long as the business side defers to editors, the market will not work to improve quality. People like Foer get away with absurdly destructive actions, often excusing incompetence as “creative license.”
