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Few blogs have the straight out pull that celebrity gossip powerhouse TMZ seems to maintain- despite concise content and occasionally woeful grammar, the site tops the hell out of every story it posts, and usually manages to scoop competitors on some of the biggest entertainment stories of the hour. (The blog broke the news of Michael Jackson’s death, for instance- perhaps the most influential celebrity news story of the past decade.)
TMZ founder Harvey Levin- whose hugely popular creation is perhaps the most illustrated example of whether news should be driven by what’s popular or what’s relevant- has suggested that mainstream media outlets need to adopt a model more similar to that of TMZ’s or die on their feet. The Washington Post says one of Levin’s suggestions is that print be greatly diminished or retired almost immediately:
“It can be done better and quicker… What is the magic of holding a piece of paper in the air when you read?” he asked. “You [in the news media] think you have to preserve this? Why?”
Levin added:
“Young people aren’t interested in the traditional media… It doesn’t speak to them.”
Levin wrapped by saying that the coming demise of mainstream media he predicts is not only a “revolution,” but an “opportunity.”
