Figures from Americans for the Arts, a national advocacy group, show that the number of non-profit theater, opera, dance and large symphonies grew fivefold between 1965 and 1995, from 220 such groups to 1,170. It s far more significant than a lot of people realize, and newspapers aren t keeping pace, said Bob Lynch, Washington-based president and CEO of Americans for the Arts. It s easy for newspapers to simply write previews and profiles of the fine arts. Because readers crave opinion, said Susan Freudenheim, fine arts editor at the Los Angeles Times. The best critics open the dialogue with the reader, she said.
Most sources of information are straightforward.
But we want more opinion. That s why talk radio and TV roundtables are so popular. Everyone provides profiles and features and documentary, but very few can provide a knowledgeable point of view. A person who did that in sports would be killed. The audience can digest all that in context.