It's bad enough that all the national and local news organizations combined can't figure how many newspapers each major daily paper sells or then agree upon what the rate of percentage in sales decline has taken place the past year at each of these newspapers. It is even more infuriatingly irking that - they are all reporting on... the exact same set of data. I mean, the exact same numerical figures.
http://lacowboy.blogspot.com/2005/11/los-angeles-times-subscribers-continue.html
But then.... just when you think it can't get any worse - it does! Now... even people who work at the same newspaper... can't get their stories or their facts straight. And that paper just happens to be - of course - the Los Angeles Times!
http://www.laobserved.com/archive/2005/11/lat_says_its_869819.html
First, Kevin at LAOBSERVED:
Hours after the ABC (via Editor & Publisher) said that average daily circulation at the Times fell to 843,432, the Times issued a release saying the figure is actually 869,819. The anomaly is not explained.
But that's just the set-up - below is the... punchline:
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-knight8nov08,0,350692.story?coll=la-home-business
Joseph Menn and James Rainey, Times Staff Writers
... Among bigger papers, the Los Angeles Times' average weekday circulation fell 3.8% to 843,432 and the Washington Post's declined 4.1% to 678,779. With its national circulation strategy, the New York Times had the only significant gain in the top 20, adding 0.5% for just over 1.1 million subscribers.
Now since the above figures are in next day's paper - they considerably postdate Publisher Johnson's statement that the 843,432 figure is... wrong. So - what's up? Did someone inhale too strongly at the new MOCA exhibit?
I had to look up what the latest show was at MOCA to get your joke. I then laughed out loud. You should link to that show so other people can get the joke too.
ReplyDeleteIt's obvious that you should be made publisher of the Times immediately. Your infalibility would instantly make all that is wrong with the paper right.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, who do you believe: the corporate head who needs to spin the story to his advantage or the reporters who are relying on the ABC figures? The ABC figures are the ones that count.