I get that the raison d’être for a newspaper is to sell copies and attract advertising revenue. Like any other business, a newspaper publisher wants to maximize profits. The objective journalism model often finds itself at odds with a newspaper’s business model, which means that cogent news and analysis don’t separate people from their money nearly as well as bombast and sensationalism. The New York Post’s concern for Robin Williams extends no further than their ability to milk his tragic suicide for whatever additional revenue they can. Given the Post’s editorial history as masters of yellow journalism, their fixation on the more lurid details of Williams’ death is hardly surprising and entirely predictable. The Post’s editorial philosophy has always been light on facts and objectivity and heavy on sensationalism and Right-wing ideology, so their exploitation of the circumstances of Williams’ suicide comes as no surprise. When your editorial philosophy is “Shoot first, check your facts later,” the cover of Wednesday’s post isn’t out of character.
That’s not to excuse the Post for their extremely poor taste and disrespect in attempting to monetize the lurid details surrounding Williams’ death. To call the cover reprehensible and tasteless wouldn’t begin to do it justice…but it’s what the New York Post does to sell newspapers. News? Who cares? Facts? Those take to long to sort out. It’s much better to leap to outlandish conclusions that place the subject in the worst possible light. It’s so much easier to sell newspapers if you can impugn the decedent’s character and lifestyle.
The Post sets the editorial bar very low, and their target demographic appears to be knuckle-draging troglodytes with an 8th-grade education and the belief that whatever they hear on Fox News Channel is Gospel. It’s a formula that works…beautifully, as it turns out. Newspapers get sold, the Post makes money off trafficking in tragedy, and thousands of New Yorkers will now assume the worst of Robin Williams, who frankly deserved better. Thankfully, one person took matters into his own hands and altered the Post’s Wednesday cover to be something kinder and more respectful…qualities the paper’s editors don’t possess in abundance.
It’s been said that all that’s necessary for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing. The same can be said for the Post’s yellow journalism…except that it might be a stretch to describe the Post’ editors as good people.
Robin William’s death was sad and tragic, as is any suicide. For the Post to exploit it to increase circulation is as disgusting as it is reprehensible…but it’s neither surprising nor out of character. Truth, kindness, and respect don’t sell newspapers.
