Print syndication’s well runs dry.
Once upon a time, in the magical kingdom of newspapers and magazines, news was actually fresh. It was current, it was relevant and it was…newsworthy.
Then, it all went to hell.
Maybe “hell” is a stretch. But it’s mostly accurate. In the same vein, maybe newspapers aren’t as guilty as magazines in regard to straying from traditional news stories. Magazines are essentially a celebrity riddled version of a high school locker room; the same three stories cycle on an endless loop of hearsay and “firsthand” accounts. The biggest “gossip” at Magazine High is none other than Cosmopolitan.
Cosmopolitan launched in 1886 as a literary magazine and revamped itself in 1965 as a women’s magazine. Originally, the standards were high. The articles were tactful, thoughtful and serious, and the covers were modest. While the latter is not a major issue, the former has fallen flat. How can articles move from television’s effect on neighborhood crime to Ben Wa balls and Beyonce’s bangs?
The answer lies in the times. Simply put, the times have changed and writing is increasingly provocative. As wonderful as that is, wracking one’s brain about giving great head or keeping up with Kim Kardashian’s outfits do not qualify as hard hitting news. Granted, Cosmopolitan gifts readers with the occasional important article, but for the most part it centers on trivial pursuits.
In print, this is called a “turning-page” point.
Photo Credit: fashionbombdaily.com
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