We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming to bring you this particular bit of gold. Thank you Richard Cohen for saying something so incredibly ignorant, in the words of Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, “for me to poop on.”
Obama is concerned, writes Cohen, that as President he will encounter “the Bubble,” which prevents sitting Presidents from hearing much opposition. They become surrounded by yes-people and sycophants (so far, so good).
Obama’s planned solution to this problem is to rely on his Blackberry. To which Cohen has a scathing retort:
For some odd reason, Obama has fastened on to his BlackBerry as an antidote to The Bubble. It won’t work. When[sic - probably] the BlackBerry is valued for e-mail, it is no different from staff. It will be only as candid as the people on the other end. The First BlackBerry will lie.
There is a remedy of sorts. It is called The Newspaper. It’s somewhat antiquated and often awkward to use, but it will bring news to the president he does not want to hear. The paper is not written with him in mind. The paper does not set out to please him, and it is not seeking a job.
Nevermind the fact that this so called “newspaper” does in fact reside on that series of tubes called “the internet.” Furthermore, this “internet” thing can be got at through a Blackberry. Or, of course, if he wants, Obama can get newspaper headlines via e-mail like I do from the New York Times.
Shocking.
I admit, the Blackberry version of the newspaper isn’t much good for sharing with the family over a lazy breakfast, but the Presidency isn’t particularly good for sharing with the family over a lazy breakfast either. Call me cruel, but I want the most powerful person in the world to be busy. We’re paying him what? $400,000 a year?
The fact of the matter is that the classic newspaper is a lean-back format, and most people don’t have the time or the inclination to digest news in a lean-back environment anymore.
I read more news on my iPhone than I do even on my computer. I have a friend in DC who tells me that 90% of the time he reads blogs and newspapers from his windows mobile phone.
The medium of news consumption is changing, and newspapers need to change with it or die.
Ironically, this is probably news that Cohen doesn’t want to hear. The internet wasn’t created with him in mind. But it sure sounds like he’s begging the President for a little extra business, so with a little luck, he can keep his job.
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Eat Sleep Publish is a Seattle-based blog that explores the difficulties and opportunities currently facing the publishing industry. 
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