Why Are Newspapers Getting Rid Of Arts Critics?

The ranks of working arts critics are shrinking. “In their increasingly desperate efforts to attract younger readers, newspapers are jettisoning huge swaths of fine- and performing-arts coverage in favor of stuff that they think will pull in those coveted eyes. How to better cover movies, celebrities, reality TV, pop music and the dating scene? Those were the subjects that dominated workshops and conversations at a September meeting of the American Association of Sunday and Feature Editors, which I attended. They’re making a mistake – and I’d like to believe it’s not wishful thinking on my part.”