Jack Fuller is a member of that unlucky generation of journalists who were in charge when the online flood started to swamp the newspaper industry. Contrary to some popular cliches, Fuller and many of his colleagues were well aware of the challenges posed by the Internet and tried very hard to turn them into opportunities. The Chicago Tribune, where Fuller was editor and then publisher, invested heavily in digital publishing and brought some great ideas to fruition, many quite successful. Unfortunately, the circumstances undermining the economics of the newspaper business were beyond control.
In this book Fuller goes beyond the economics to look at some deeper issues that are affecting not just newspapers, but the future of journalism itself. His arguments are thoughtful and thought-provoking, particularly his analysis of the neuroscience of distraction and how it’s affecting the audience for news.