Journalism lite--the New York Times new format

A new format for the New York Times makes you think that its readers need stronger glasses for the big print. What used to appear on a half page on p.2, outlining major articles, has now exploded into 3 pages--pp. 2,3, & 4--in larger type and more leading. What's more this unnecessary use of space elbows out more detailled international and national coverage. Now, we're treated to more cultural curosities or odd facts--such as the survival among older Koreans of the use of Japanese forms of poetry written in Japanese, which is interesting, but hardly worth all the space as the news on hot spots at home and abroad get short shrift. It seems that the grey old lady of American journalism has taken a leaf out of USA Today, with its telegraphic style of reporting. Does anyone remember the name of Per Wahloo who along with his wife wrote the Martin Beck murder mystery series and was a keen eyed political novelist. His '33 floor' tells a tale of the cheapening of news and the infantilism of the press to dumb down a people so that they remain in the dark about what's going on even in their own backyard. The result, in this dark tale of caution, is what we're seeing not only in the gutter press a la Rupert Murdoch which glorifies guts & gore and the peccadillos of the glitterati but the rot has now reach the height of the respectable press like the New York Times. The chattering classes are no better in high brow magazines, believe me. And the public is so well trained that it snaps to the whips of the growing authoritian and iron rule of the monied classes. Truly we've entered another dark age of puerile!