The Age woes

The AGE's current woes are largely of their own making. It would be unwise of THE AGE supporters  to blame Reinhart , even though the issue of control weighs heavily on many of those who want the AGE to survive  . The Age has been captured , which is a bit like saying its conspiracy not cockup that's killing it. All these maladjustments are internal but only capture and conspiracy are real diseases that hide,  eat away and destroy the substance behind the scenes .Reinhardt may be real , but with the external,   its always easier to deal .
The Age's problems are not about its independence ( hasn't shown much in some areas now for a long time )  but about the ability of the profession to put all sides ( diversity ) Where is the Age 's own version of ABolt ? There are a few dissidents within the fold  , I must agree, but that's not the point .
The views are not meant to be inside the paper's minds,  but outside them.
Any good journo can put the sides forward .  THE Age just hasn't told the other half of some critical local story for decades . Like ABCTV ,  many of us have grown up with relying on the AGE and the ABC for informed comment on the issues of the day .Maybe the Age has  been too close to the railway and not close enough to the stations?
However , in the last ten years I have dropped my subscription to the Age and now get the Australian ( Brandis's sound point on the difference on qanda)  The Age in my area of work is not only highly predictable and too simple , but just does not respond to requests to put the other side of the story - THE AGE has not been publishing half the story for decades- say in Fyffe's territory
2005 the limits of the vilification laws ; the pedantry and poor focus of using VCAT to run trials , 2007 the unquestioning acceptance of the god assumption with making water instead of conserving and recycling water ; 2008 the wonthaggi white elephant ; 2009 the inevatble disaster of allowing the people to think themselves safe  in the sacred forest ; 2010 the lack of pointed comment of the government  at white washed royal commission findings;   2011 the inevitable loss of power by Labor who were unwarned and overly comfortable in their ignorance.
Brandis was only half right last night on Qand A. The future  is a bit about quality,  but it's more about diversity.  What the Internet lacks in quality it more than makes up for in diversity and genuine disputability.
Neither the Age nor the Age currently make room for the latter . They MUST NOW do so -------to survive let alone retain relevance !
Diversity is more important than quality just like Voltaire might have said to Brandis and Tim  . "Don't hang it on him for HOW he said it , hang it on him for any lack of truth in what he said ."  
Until both polys and wannabes recognise their job is to take and put " much advice ",  thus correct , reform and refine  they will continue to be both out of touch and out the door; Irrelevant and out of touch - many like them about !
There is a God and He doesn't live in houses and institutions made by man.
Do we want THE AGE  to survive?  you bet we do . But not as a vehicle for insiders views . We want THE AGE  to reform itself - keep the backbone, but ditch the predictable pitches/ pitchers.