This is a terrible take - here in Philly working in the Opinion section of the Inquirer I see how op-eds and editorials start important discussions across our region that wouldn't have happened otherwise. I'll tell you the one thing that's changed and made life harder: The reader
In the 20th century when newspapers had a monopoly for people who craved information, readers accepted exposure to viewpoints they disagreed as part of the price of admission. In the tribal, angry 21st century...not so much
It's not just the angry Trumpists who tell me they've subscribed to the Inq for decades but are canceling because of me or 1 or 2 other liberals. It's also my progressive friends who say the like me and many other Inq writers but why do we publish Conservative X or Right-Wing Y?
This matters a lot because we'll die soon without digital subscribers but when people won't subscribe to a publication because they disagree with just 1 or 2 writers -- which happens more and more -- then we're pretty much doomed.
So what we really need is readers to step up and not only show a little more tolerance for exposure to views they disagree with, but also a willingness to accept that reading the opinions of those you disagree with might even be good for you in the long run - 30 -
