The Chron self owns on the heels of yesterday's election. (Sad trombone)

 Why did so few Houstonians vote yesterday?

According to this Chron article it's because they couldn't find much about the election on the social medias.

Ouch.

Not that the Chronicle did not provide enough coverage (although, I would still argue that it didn't, at least not quality coverage) or that the Editorial Board did not endorse (they did, on some of the races). Nope, the reason (primarily younger) voters decided to skip this election is that they overwhelmingly did not feel educated enough on the issues at hand.

Granted, that's not why I did not bother to go vote. I haven't voted in years. I've lost full confidence in our political system and believe that voting is one of the more useless rights we currently retain. It doesn't matter who you vote for, you're going to get the same level of suck, just in different areas. There are far more important places to put your focus and energy these days than America's late-stage Republic.

But this article should be worrisome for the Chron, part of a failing institution that's wheezing along like a car with 200,000 miles whose check engine light came on at 120,000. Because this article clearly shows that younger people no longer care about what's printed in the pages, or online for the Chronicle and, in fact, they're not even looking at it.

I've long stated that the value and importance of the Chronicle Editorial Board is long past it's shelf life. The expiration date for that wheezing institution has long passed. It's past time to shutter the relic and redeploy those resources to actual news gathering functions, and (gasp!) maybe an expanded social media team.

The fact is, a fact that's lost on Newspapers FWIW, young people (and even most older people to be totally honest) don't give a crap what the opinions of some life-long J-school graduates are on any issue. They have no practical experience in the fields or issues on which they are opining, just I have no practical experience in journalism.

Which is why I believe the Chron should focus on where they actually might have (a little) experience. Reporting news. Print it online (I would actually get rid of the hard copy paper since it's irrelevant these days) and then have your social media teams go to work. Broadcast actual journalism on the socials, and start to train a new generation on coming to your website to read the long-form should it peak their interest and they wish.

Of course, the second part of this is that your journalism should be factual and as free from bias as is possible given human limitations.  It is impossible to eliminate all bias of course. We all have certain filters through which we view the World, and that's not really a terrible thing. However, that doesn't mean that you cannot work around that by acknowledging, and openly admitting your bias so that people can understand the viewpoint that you are writing from.

For example: I am an Oil and Gas professional in my mid-50s who is fairly fiscally conservative who believes in a smaller government that focuses on shoring up the things people NEED (roads, public works, etc.) rather than spending money on things politicians WANT (stadiums, light-rail, etc.). I believe in reducing the regulatory burden while ensuring that the regulations that are in place clear, concise and that they actually ensure businesses are operating within the law. I believe in Conservation not Environmentalism, and I believe in a legal system that is fair to all, but which also serves (primarily) to protect the public.

See, it's not that hard. Obviously I have other beliefs but that little paragraph above pretty much sums up my political philosophy from an economic viewpoint. Social matters are a different issue of course, and much more nuanced.  But, for most reporters just a simple acknowledgement of their party affiliation would let readers know from where they are coming. I will admit that I'm a little bit harder to pin down because I no longer have a political affiliation. (At one time, I was Republican, but that was a LOOOOONG time ago.)

If anything, the linked article below illustrates just how bad things are getting for newspapers these days. It also shows the lack of self-awareness that current exists in the media that they run this article without understanding what it means for them and their future.

Which is why I don't think they are ever going to turn things around.