In his very good new book The Fall of the House of Forbes: The Inside Story of the Collapse of a Media Empire, former Forbes editor Stewart Pinkerton describes the decline of the publication’s significance, and along the way champions the noble tradition of magazine journalism. “There’s an important distinction between one hundred people using their cell phones to record an event and real journalism, calcified as some of its traditions and procedures may be,’’ he says. “What’s missing from the raw footage . . . is the authoritative voice, the result of years of source cultivation, the building up of levels of trust that allow a reporter to put something into context. It’s something only established news outlets can do . . . .Most people need an expert to filter, prioritize, and context information. A fire hose of information without that is useless.’’ To rad my review of Pinkerton’s book in The Washington Monthly, click here.
On December 22, I received this note via The Washington Monthly:
Dear Mr. Malanowski,
I wanted to thank you for your thoughtful piece on my book. So far, you’re the only reviewer who “gets it” and understands the big picture I was trying to convey. My wife, who, remarkably, still works at Forbes as a photo editor, particularly loved the last sentence. Since rather than now spending most of her day dealing with top photographers to set up cover photo shoots, she toils with the demands of slide shows, such as “Ten Healthy Snacks to Eat at Your Desk.”
Thanks again. Enjoy the holidays.
All best, Stewart Pinkerton