Between last issue and this, a contingent from Isthmus enjoyed the attractions of New Orleans as we attended the annual convention of the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies (during which said association amended its name to the Association of Alternative Newsmedia, to reflect the multiple platforms we all now utilize to deliver our content). So we are all freshly attuned to the rigors of modern-day media.
We have returned home to find our local theater playing the film Page One: Inside the New York Times. This documentary by director Andrew Rossi asks, among other things: Can The New York Times survive? The film is built to a large extent around the ruminations of media reporter David Carr and his colleague at the Times, Brian Stelter.
A Twin Cities boy and former alt newspaper toiler as editor of the now defunct Twin Cities Reader and the Washington City Paper, Carr has in recent years written the popular and influential media column in the Times' Monday business section.
Captivated by the topic, a number of Isthmus staffers have crafted a discussion around the film to take place after the 7:15 p.m. showing at Sundance Cinemas next Wednesday, Aug. 3. The event is scheduled to begin around 9 p.m. (the film is 93 minutes long) on the second floor of Sundance. Scheduled to attend are a number of Isthmus personnel, including new news editor Judy Davidoff; invited to attend are a number of UW journalism faculty and you, the general public. We'd also be happy to see other media professionals there to offer their perspectives.
Arts and entertainment editor Kenneth Burns reviews the film in this week's paper. He has some quibbles with it but still regards it as a valuable insight into the struggles of what some refer to now as "legacy" media. If you have an interest in the future of media, come see the film and join us afterward for the discussion. Tickets to the movie cost $11.50.
