Pacific Views

Is it real or is it online?

CJR's Campaign Desk has a very interesting post about the difference between the online and print editions of major US newspapers.

Editors defend the difference between their online and print editions by asserting that any reader who wants the real story is going to get his hands on a print edition. Richard Core, editor of LATimes.com, told Campaign Desk that "if you want the story that people -- radio or TV -- are referring to, then go to the print edition. People understand that the Website is going to be updating throughout the day."

Thus, he cautions, "if someone from a blog links to one of the [continuous news] stories that has a time stamp, it would be more precise to label it LATimes.com or the online edition of the L.A. Times," as opposed to referring to it as The Los Angeles Times.

That's news to Tucker Carlson, co-host of CNN's "Crossfire." Carlson says Core has it entirely wrong if he thinks that pundits reference the print editions. "Everyone, at least at my network and bureau, gets stuff off the web rather than print." In fact, Carlson continued, "During the day my producers shoot me [articles] by email and we put the whole show together" using the Web versions.