The State Of The Media: Look At Me!

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A year or so after moving to Washington, I got a call from a book agent, who offered to buy me a drink anywhere in the city. I chose Off The Record at the Hay Adams Hotel, because it seemed the most obnoxious option. He sat me down, and asked, “Everyone knows what the Malcolm Gladwell brand is. But what is the Michael Scherer brand?” On the upside, he did pay for the drinks, and they were overpriced.

For the May/June Issue of Columbia Journalism Review, Maureen Tkacik has written a long essay about the state of journalism for the “young urban writer now.” It is a fabulous essay, capturing, I think, the inanity of our culture and my profession in a way I have not seen done before. It is about 7,000 words long, and you will probably not read all of it. Even if you do read it, you are almost certain not to pay for any of it. So be it. That is the state we are in. But if, by chance, you find the time, let me suggest that you may find it worth your while.

A link is here. The kitten photo on this post just to get your attention. That’s how it’s done. If I did it for every post, it could become my brand.