New DMN Management Structure Adds New Layer of Distrust
Why does a city needs honest and intelligent criticism from its mainstream media? It is a way of expressing – and keeping in check – our ideas about ourselves. A city’s character is expressed in a particular and poignant way in the art it produces, and in the way it views and understands art from other places. Criticism helps plumb that expression, articulating ourselves to ourselves. So why am I worried about this new management structure at the Dallas Morning News that places entertainment editors a rung below sales managers on the chain of command? I’m not sure. To be honest, I rarely head to the DMN for criticism and arts news. This has more to do with the absolutely frustrating and convoluted workings of their Kafka-esque web-ad machine known as Dallasnews.com. (I used to read Hunter Hawk on DART when Quick was daily – he was usually the best thing in there.) But whereas the DMN seems to have been loosing relevance in this city’s scene for some time, I can’t imagine how this new arrangement won’t at the very least add a new layer of distrust, if not compromising their views altogether. It will be interesting to see how this one plays out.
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