SF Chronicle biz section is critiqued

The ChronWatch Writers’ Blog has a critique of the Sunday business section of the San Francisco Chronicle, and it claims that the coverage has gotten “weaker.”

Jim Sparkman, a retired Kaiser Aluminum executive writing on the blog, states, “Look at the latest Sunday edition, for example. The Business editor apparently decided that this will be a global warming day. David Lazarus is the Chron specialist on pursuing the small print fees levied by businesses and doing so in excruciating detail. On Sunday, David expands his horizons by telling us the Greenland glaciers are melting, and throws around all the usual Kyoto arguments. David presents global warming as undeniable fact, and leaps to conclude that it is caused by carbon dioxide from fossil fuels. David loves that conclusion since, as a good liberal, he is able to blame the U.S. as the prime offender. David gores on to present the puzzling conclusion that business must become involved in the solution to the problem although he never says how. The usual tone of the piece is standard liberal fare. The implied solution is to return to cave man status and cease all this useless consumerism, and we need to do it now.”

Later, the blog adds, “So far, the ‘new Chron’ continues to disappoint. The overall effect has been to reduce the quality of an already weak product. The Business section is clearly not an exception to that judgment. The only reason to visit the Chron’s Business section is to read Dilbert. He and Wally offer good sound business analysis on a regular basis. They offer wisdom not found in the Chron’s other business offerings.”