L.A. Times (Lets Get Stupid)

Well, it's official. This Sunday, The Los Angeles Times (as owned by The Tribune Company) will launch their new section into the the world of the unenlightened (See related post). Called "Image" (not "Substance"), the Times announced the new section today. From their full page ad:

"Now arriving. Fashionably up-to-date. Image. Launches this Sunday. There's a new section dedicated to covering the world of style from a SoCal perspective - from surfer casual to red-carpet glamour, from the hottest sample sales to the freshest beauty tips. With Image, know what's now and how to get it. FASHION/BEAUTY/STYLE/SHOPPING"

Great. But if I wanted to kill brain cells, I'd start smoking crack. I know this change makes the editors' (real journalists) skin crawl. Many have already left the Times already. So here's a message to the new owners:

Read about the Fourth Estate. Briefly, the press, by keeping an independent eye on government, is part of our Democracy.
So while soldiers fight wars overseas, and the Justice Department doesn't function properly, and the government slowly dismantles people's rights, and the nation's finances are destroyed, and laws are passed in violation of the Constitution, and politicians function outside the rules of our laws, and great American principles of justice are compromised ... thanks for being my watchdog by telling me where to shop for a cool T-shirt that surfers wear.
What's next for the once mighty Los Angeles Times? A new section called "Hooters"?

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