Can newspapers survive cathode rays and the net?
Duncan Graham explains why Indonesians are reluctant to pay 33 US cents for a paper when they can buy a fresh bowl of meatballs instead Jakarta Post Sunday, August 20, 2006 By Duncan Graham Every day en route to Surabaya’s Chaos Central I’m accosted by a weird collection of highway hustlers ambushing motorists at traffic lights. Included in the lineup of windscreen dusters, furry toy sellers (and sellers of furry toys), bare-breasted beggars suckling gooey infants and ghouls in ape masks (just the thing for the office boss) are paperboys. Some go to extremes in a bid to flog the news. During the World Cup a few painted their torsos in what seemed to be an attempt to replicate national flags. Even veteran drivers in the East Java capital, hardened to bizarre sights at intersections, were moved to double-check their door locks. But apart from shock and awe these garish gents sweating rainbows didn’t seem to be scoring any extra sales. No wonder. Who wants to read results when we’ve heard
