Creator of "The Wire" on journalism: "The parasite is killing the host."

2 years ago

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Patricia Murphy

Capitol Hill Bureau Chief

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David Simon took a buyout from the "Baltimore Sun," after 18 years reporting for the paper. He then moved to sunnier shores in California and eventually created "The Wire," an HBO series about his days in Baltimore.

At the Senate hearing on the future of journalism today, Simon presaged the end of the newspaper industry, "High-end journalism is dying," and described the "leeching" of information from professional newsrooms to "amateurs," "so-called journalists" and bloggers. (No offense taken.)

Seated three seats away from Huffington Post founder, Arianna Huffington, and at the opposite end of the witness table from Google's wunder-search V.P., Marissa Mayer, Simon diagnosed the ink-stained patient: "The parasite is slowly killing the patient."

His full opening statement is HERE, and well worth reading.

Filed Under: The Capitolist

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