Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

[MU Avenue]

I often read posters here and elsewhere lambasting the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel for its content.

Why?

In a recent thread here under the subject line "WTF @ Journal-Sentinel picture," poster Wade4Life writes: "Live in MKE right now; the JS is the worst paper in the US. Their reporting is equal to a 5th grade reading level."

This simplistic, ill-informed, baseless and seemingly naïve assessment is plain dopey.

There are times I wish the Journal Sentinel would cover certain topics or events more thoroughly (or at all), but overall the newspaper does a fine job covering the city and state. Its staff seems to know and understand its readers and delivers much that those readers want or need to know.

These sweeping, groundless attacks on the Journal Sentinel often seem to originate with overly emotional people who, I am guessing, know nothing about what is involved in producing a newspaper for a broad readership.

Specific to Wade4Life's post, I am curious how he or she is in a position to have determined that the Journal Sentinel is "the worst paper in the US."

If I were Wade4Life, I would be more concerned with the number of agreement, grammatical and punctuation errors that I manage to squeeze into even the briefest of posts.

[NavinRJohnson]

The JS is terrible.

Any reason this is on the basketball board?

[GGGG]

I was going to make a similar comment yesterday.  I think the MJS is a much better paper now than it was a decade ago.  Their in-depth reporting is fantastic, and they actually have content to their paper.  Look at the Wisconsin State Journal for instance to see how far a newspaper can fall.  Considering the newspaper industry is basically dying, at least the MJS is putting forth an effort.

[MU Avenue]

The JS is terrible.

Any reason this is on the basketball board?

Anyone care to add that the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel "sucks."

Please, someone, show that even the slightest amount of thought goes into these seemingly empty assaults on the Journal Sentinel.

[dw3dw3dw3]

Another note...papers are supposed to be writing to a 3rd-5th grade reading level. They are for the general public, you may be surprised at the overall reading comprehension of our nation. So the quote "Their reporting is equal to a 5th grade reading level." is actually what they are trying to do.

[mu_hilltopper]

In about 18 months, when the paper closes down, everyone will remember the MJS fondly.  

(Note to self, get Rosiak on board CrackedSidewalks.)

[Tulsa Warrior]

Rosiak has brought a new much higher standard to Marquette coverage in the JS.

It's a tough time for newpaperrs and those who work for them.  Papers are closing and those that are not are cutting back.  I have friends in the industry who are being put on unpaid leave and are in daily fear for their job.

Out in Pasadena a newspaper has outsourced reporting to India.  I kid you not.  They use the Internet, phones and net cams to cover city council and even sporting events.

The times we are living in and the economy.

We all should be thankful that a quaility person and reporter like Rosiak is covering the Marquette beat.  No --I am not a relative and have never met the man.  I just follow his work closely.  He does need to clean up his act a bit on camera. (Hey guy all future reporters have to be multi-media ready   and the knit hat has to go unless you can dominate a game on the floor. )

[MARQTTE]

This doesn't pertain to the sports section of the JS but I am getting kinda tired of the JS pasting their lastest 'award' for journalism excellence on the front page.  It's getting to be a little too much.

[GGGG]

I know you might be kidding, but the MJS won't be closing.  The papers you see closing now are the less popular of two dailies in the same city. 

[PuertoRicanNightmare]

There's a paranoia among many older Marquette fans about a bias in the J/S that borders on hysteria. There are some who have gone so far as to measure column inches to support these claims of bias. It's completely nuts.

Does the Tribune have a bias against the Bulls because their game story was on page 3 today, even though they beat the mighty Celtics?

Get a grip. Nobody is "against" Marquette and that includes Doug Gottlieb, Andy Katz, Tim Higgins, Bruce Pearl, the Journal-Sentinel or anybody else who has been cited on this (and particularly the other) board.

[mu_hilltopper]

Wanna bet?   I am probably on the thin side with 18 months, but 2-4 years, it won't be published 7 days/week.  Just Sundays.  Online the other 6 days.  Not sure how sustainable that model is, though, so .. the future is grim.

It's just .. classified ad revenue is headed toward ZERO.   .. Nearly zero people born after, say 1980, will ever subscribe to the paper, as they get their news online, for free.   If it's not the economy, ad rates, classified ads .. their paid circulation is, well, a dying breed.

[ATWizJr]

Sounds like a new niche may open up for CS.  News AND sports daily on line.

[ecompt]

JS stock has lost something like 80 percent of its value in the past five yearsm which I, as a journalist, find very, very sad. People just don't pay for something to read if they can get it for free online. And for all the handouts Obama has offered to GM and AIG and the banks, does anyone care that thiousands of journalists lose their job ever year?
As for the JS itself, Rosiak is outstanding, especially when compared to his predecessor. My ONLY argument with the paper is when MU has to play second fiddle to UW. If the paper wants to take that attitude (and I understand why they do it), take the name "Milwaukee" off the masthead. 

[Phi Iota Gamma 84]

I get the WSJ and MJS at home, If the WSJ had USA Todays sports page or the MJS dropped Rosiak there would be NO reason (for me) to get the MJS.

[Skatastrophy]

JS stock has lost something like 80 percent of its value in the past five yearsm which I, as a journalist, find very, very sad. People just don't pay for something to read if they can get it for free online. And for all the handouts Obama has offered to GM and AIG and the banks, does anyone care that thiousands of journalists lose their job ever year?

The print journalism industry is failing.  It's an antiquated delivery method that people aren't willing to pay for in a digital age.

Insurance and cars aren't going away anytime soon.  Physical newspapers are.

[MU Avenue]

I get the WSJ and MJS at home, If the WSJ had USA Todays sports page or the MJS dropped Rosiak there would be NO reason (for me) to get the MJS.

Your comment, Phi Iota Gamma 84, tells me that you care little or not at all about local or state news and only read the newspaper for the sports page.

Otherwise, what you have written makes no sense and is another empty attack on the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, which remains a fine newspaper that covers its readership areas well. Substantiate your criticisms with facts.

If you do not care about local or state news and events, admit it and stop blaming the local daily newspaper for your apathy toward or disinterest in topics or events that do not involve teams in uniforms, a ball and a lot of sweat.

I have trouble believing you delve deeply into The Wall Street Journal each day or that you have a sincere appreciation for the outstanding writing found in that newspaper, which remains quite good even under its new ownership.

[Skatastrophy]

Pop quiz:

Who on this forum works for the MKE Journal Sentinel and takes personal offense to every gripe that anyone on this forum has ever made about his or her paper?

Obvious PR employee is obvious.

[🏀]

The print journalism industry is failing.  It's an antiquated delivery method that people aren't willing to pay for in a digital age.

Insurance and cars aren't going away anytime soon.  Physical newspapers are.

Still need journalists to write for the online pages.

More importantly, people need their 'news' sources whether it be local or global to be trustworthy. People of Wisconsin will follow the MJS online if the print version went to a more minimal subscription. They trust the paper, and will support it online. I'm not saying it needs a bailout, but the name won't be going anywhere.

[ecompt]

Yeah, you do need writers, just not nearly as many of them.

[sailwi]

I enjoy reading and newspapers in particular and the JS is a terrible paper, I half joke with my wife on Sunday that it takes about 15 minutes to read that paper and that is spending 10 minutes on the sports section.  The business section is predominately reprints for the WSJ and the travel and feaure sections are all wire services some origional writing in the front and local sections but that isn't much in the whole context of things.  Rosiak does a nice job covering MU but the inordinate amount of ink devoted to the Badgers is another reason it doesn't take long to read th papaer.

The most annoying thing about the JS is when they have the sports show that they sponser and presumably make money off of and have editorial content extolling the great sports show seems to more than cross the line of an independent voice.

I realize most papers are declining in quality including the NYT which I get on Sundays but has less and less content than in the past.

[Tribby]

I enjoy reading and newspapers in particular and the JS is a terrible paper, I half joke with my wife on Sunday that it takes about 15 minutes to read that paper and that is spending 10 minutes on the sports section.  The business section is predominately reprints for the WSJ and the travel and feaure sections are all wire services some origional writing in the front and local sections but that isn't much in the whole context of things. 

This is the case with about 90% of the major daily papers in the U.S., outside of the top dozen or so. Even great papers like the WSJ, NYT, WaPo, (formerly) ChiTrib and LAT are losing money hand over fist; it makes no sense for a paper in a second-tier city to staff a foreign bureau when it's not even profitable for the biggest of papers to do so.

The JS is not a world-class paper by any stretch. But for what it is--the dominant paper in a second-tier city--it is outstanding.

[MUEng92]

You guys are making me feel like I am 83 instead of 38.

I enjoy sitting at the kitchen table in the morning with my bowl of cereal and newspaper (okay mainly the sports page).  I have been doing it since I was old enough to read the paper.  Granted the rest of the day I am checking out news and sports websites, but I hate starting my day without the paper.

[Skatastrophy]

You guys are making me feel like I am 83 instead of 38.

I enjoy sitting at the kitchen table in the morning with my bowl of cereal and newspaper (okay mainly the sports page).  I have been doing it since I was old enough to read the paper.  Granted the rest of the day I am checking out news and sports websites, but I hate starting my day without the paper.

http://www.jsonline.com

I just saved you a bunch of money on your subscription.  Why pay for free content?

[The Lens]

http://www.jsonline.com

I just saved you a bunch of money on your subscription.  Why pay for free content?

b/c a hard copy can convery significance a lot better than online can.  Everyone was all up in arms about trhe stupid dance fever picture but no online readers got excited on how MU absolutely dominated the Sunday sports.  That was a great section to dig out of the paper and read.  You had to have the hard copy to truly appreciate how much emphasis was on MU & the 3 Amigos.  There is nothing like reading a sports page after a huge W.

[Pakuni]

http://www.jsonline.com

I just saved you a bunch of money on your subscription.  Why pay for free content?

It won't be free content for long.

Eventually - hopefully sooner rather than later - the industry is going to wise up and realize that it can't continue to operate, and certainly not at a respectable level, by giving away their content. Right now, too many continue to cling to mistaken notion that online advertising one of these days can fund the operation. When they realize that it cannot - and join the many that already see it - they'll get together and form an iTunes-style mechanism by which people will have to purchase content the way they purchase songs. Remember, 6-7 years ago nobody wanted to pay for music when they could get it free on Napster. Now most music consumers don't think twice about paying 99 cents for song. If the industry is smart, they'll create a similar mindset in which people won't think twice about paying 5 cents for a story, a quarter for the whole sports section, 50 cents for the whole paper, etc. And, like the RIAA, they'll go after people who would give away others' content for free.

My guess is the AP leads the way on this and starts requiring its members/clients to charge for its content. That would force not only the newspapers, but also online-only distributors like Yahoo!, into the fold.

Obviously charging for content will drive some away, but it's better to have 100,000 paying customers than 500,000 freeloaders.