If “collective gasps” could be measured online, the December 10 closing of Editor & Publisher might have caused an virtual earthquake. The very medium that usurped the industry on which E&P reported, conveyed heartfelt dismay when the magazine shut down.Even the most social-media savvy cynics have to feel some sadness when such a reputable print publication goes under. FisbowlLA blogger Tina Dupuy’s perspective was succinct but telling: “Not to be alarmist but…we’re screwed.”
Who will inherit E&P’s mantle as the go-to source for industry news? Or is there even a torch to be passed?
Many news sites and blogs cover fragments of the industry that E&P examined so completely. Jim Romanesko’s column on Poynter.org is a consistent leader in aggregating media-centric stories from around the country; Cision’s own Navigator site reports on media news and trends; and regional sites like FishbowlNY and LA Observed are consistently breaking media news.
Greg Mitchell, the publication’s editor in chief, expressed some optimism the brand will continue in some form. However, in a Los Angeles Times article from December 11, he articulated the magazine’s downfall in saying, “We’re part of a besieged industry, magazine publishing, and we’re covering another besieged industry, newspapers, so it’s kind of a double whammy.”
Just today it was announced that the magazine will still publish its January 2010 issue, leaving more hope that it’s not dead just yet.
Perhaps the next incarnation E&P will cover online-only newspapers and bloggers but still retain its predecessor’s commitment to reporting on journalism and the business of it.
