Nic Babarskis

Is the Future of News Cronkite+Mr. Beast?

Liz Kelly Nelson writing about whether ‘Independent Journalists’ will be able to build the infrastructure necessary to provide similar quality journalism as legacy media institutions:

Independent journalism creators now outperform legacy media by almost every audience measure.

Ugh…this just makes me feel queasy. Call me an old fashioned institutionalist but I have little optimism that influencers who call themselves journalists have the same capacity (collectively) to provide the independent information necessary for a functioning democracy. I’d maybe feel a bit more sanguine about a 5th Estate renaissance if these folks were truly building independent publishing systems, but they are all gaining their followings through the big social networks. The audience building incentives on those platforms aren’t designed to prioritize quality. From what I’ve personally experienced its a lot of partisan flavored commentary/analysis– VERY LITTLE original reporting.

I have more hope in cooperatives like 404 Media or localized nonprofits like East Lansing Info. I’m not ready to agree that the future of the journalism ecosystem belongs to some enterprising Walter Cronkite + Mr. Beast figure.

Chicago Transit Authority’s slow TV ‘Ride the Rails’ videos remind me why I love the Brown Line

My family has maintained a relationship to Chicago’s Brown Line.

For the years that we lived in central Illinois my parents would periodically take my sister and I to the city for a day or weekend excursion. Ostensibly we were there to visit my grandmother in Bridgeport (a Red Line stop) or my cousins in the suburbs, but we would also find an excuse to take the bikes down to the lakefront for a ride from the Adler Planetarium to the Lincoln Park zoo, or a jaunt up and down lake shore drive. We’d also ride the El. We’d take the Brown Line to Sedgwick and eat at the Old Jerusalem Restaurant.

When I lived in Wheaton I’d keep up the pattern and find excuses to take the Brown Line to Old Town or Lincoln Park. My future spouse lived not far from the Diversey stop for a time.

The CTA maintains a playlist of ‘Ride the Rails’ videos. The production values have improved incrementally over time. I find it comforting to pull one up and ride along for a couple stops. The familiar “doors closing” cadence and the click-clack of the tracks acts a bit like a breathe prayer. The Brown Line remains my favorite.