Where f is the audience, x is the news value....
When I went to school, there were two kinds of students:
Math students and the rest of us.
I was decidedly amongst the 'rest of us', as anything beyond basic algebra proved almost incomprehensible.
When I went to college, I took those 'science for poets' courses.
People who were math types went on to great careers in medicine, engineering, science and technology.
Those of us who were English majors went on to careers in things like journalism.
The arrival of the 'tech revolution' and the 'Internet revolution' and the 'digital revolution' suddenly put a great deal of value in those 'math' people. And less so in us. You can read about STEM programs for schools across the nation: Science Technology, Engineering and Math. You DON'T read a lot about PLOD programs - Poetry, Languages, Oration and Drama. That's because there are no PLOD programs because there are no PLOD jobs or PLOD careers anymore.
If I had known, when I was in high school, that the geek sitting next to me with the circular slide rule was going to end up running the planet, I would have probably beaten him up (or I would have asked my friends on the football team to beat him up - they also had no future).
But no, it was the math people who ended up running the Internet and hence the world.
When the Internet came along, it began to chow through industries like newspapers first. That's because newspapers delivered information and so did the web. Only it did it better.
WE, the PLOD people, the writers, the journalists, the photographers, SHOULD have created the Internet. We should have, but we didn't. Instead, we became the victims. The victims of the Math people, who created the web and who suddenly were running, effectively, everything related to information gathering and distribution (and what, after all, is journalism but that?)
And, as we all know, the Math people are not the most creative people in the world.
Nor the most interesting.
(Who wants to go to the Math Team party tonight? Hands down.)
What can we do to take back control of our world and our lives, before we join up with telephone operators, elevator drivers and people who used to work at Blockbuster?
As difficult as it may be, we now have to wrap our heads around Calculus.
You remember calculus. Water is going into a bathtub at x rate while it is draining out at y rate. Several things moving at the same time. Because that's the world of media we are living in now. It isn't a 'steady state' (as the Math people say - see how easy this is?), it is fluid.
In our case, there are two technologies moving forward all the time. One is the tech of creating content. Every day it becomes cheaper and faster and is in more hands. The second factor is the means of distribution. How people 'get' our stuff. This is also becoming faster, cheaper and easier to do. And both of these trends (we can make a chart if you like), are moving in the same direction.
Now, if we want to re-take control of the information side of the information revolution, we have to position ourselves in the real world of what these two trends mean and where they are immutably headed.
And they aren't headed toward a handful of reporters working for a newspaper or TV station, are they?
Class dismissed for today.
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.