INFANTILE JOURNALISM

posted by James Reel

    So the Arizona Friends of Chamber Music, of which I’m a board member, puts on a week-long festival with top-notch musicians including the Tokyo Quartet and presents a lot of out-of-the-ordinary music, including a brand-new work by a leading composer, to packed houses. What aspect of this does the Arizona Daily Star cover? The kiddie concert—the element of least possible interest to the adult reading public. It’s also the angle that requires no critical discernment, because the reporter need only recount the children’s reactions to the presentation, not form her own response from an adult perspective. Draw your own conclusions, and pause for a moment of silence for the protracted death of serious cultural journalism.