2008 greatest hits: thinking smarter

This is the third in a series of short posts, where I attempt to pick out the most significant developments of 2008.

This is one of my favourite developments of 2008: the last gasp of the curmudgeon class.

The curmudgeons are the commentators, in blogs, but especially at newspaper websites, who see nothing good about the way journalism is going, lament the passing of the Golden Age (which varies according to the age of the commenter) and generally link anything new — particularly online — with the gradual decline and fall of civilization as we know it.

Basically, their arguments can be boiled down to one plea: we have to do something to enable us to keep doing newspapers the way we have always done them. A big selling point of theirs is that if only newspapers can find some way to charge folks for all that “free” news, everything will be right with the world again.

The curmudgeons were out in force in 2008. In fact, there was another entry today, from former journalist and now educator Joel Brinkley, who wants the American federal government to suspend anti-trust laws so newspapers can collude and all decide to start charging for online at once.

But a funny thing happened with curmudgeons in 2008. Earlier this year, a curmudgeonly piece would draw extensive internet commentary and set off great gnashings of teeth. But midway through 2008, it was suggested such pieces are that “last gasp” that I referred to above. (I think it was Jay Rosen who wrote that, but I may be mis-remembering.)

That’s pretty much dead on. There was a little huffing-and-puffing about Brinkley’s piece today, but not much. The attitude from a lot of media commentators is nicely summed up in a tweet from Ryan Sholin:

(Screenshot of tweet from Ryan Sholin)

Exactly. Move along, folks. Nothing here you haven’t seen before.

The curmudgeons aren’t going away, of course. But fewer and fewer people are paying attention to them, because they’ve moved on to conversations about what really needs to be done — and can be done — to keep journalism vibrant.