I was having a conversation with an editor I work with about CNN the other day, when the following occurred to me:

I feel like the root of CNN's problem is that they have more or less abandoned the pursuit of "quality" reporting in favor of "popular" stories.

In any publication, there is always this tension between quality and popularity. Consider how much has been going on in the world this past week, in particular with regards to the earthquake in Japan and the uprisings in the Middle East. I've been following those stories closely on the NY Times, which in my opinion has done some excellent reporting on both topics.

Now consider the "most popular articles" on the Times right now:

    1. The Times Announces Digital Subscription Plan
    2. The Quad: Grant Hill’s Response to Jalen Rose
    3. Paul Krugman: The Forgotten Millions
    4. Pogue's Posts: ‘Chimping’ and Other Photo-Taking Tips
    5. David Brooks: Social Science Palooza II
    6. Ex-Racehorses Starve as Charity Fails in Mission to Care for Them
    7. William D. Cohan: Degrees of Influence?
    8. Timothy Egan: Frankenfish Phobia
    9. Letter: A Letter to Our Readers About Digital Subscriptions
    10. SAT’s Reality TV Essay Stumps Some

You know, I probably end up reading half the articles that appear on the Times's most popular list, and I enjoy them greatly. But if the Times just gave up on doing "real" reporting and focused instead on these kinds of "popular" topics -- well, I'm sure I'd pretty quickly lose interest in the publication and go find another source of news and interesting tidbits.

Which brings me back to CNN. I just have this feeling that this is what their business team was seduced by. Somebody looked at their numbers and said, "Hey, we don't get nearly as many viewers when we run an in-depth expose on the state of women's education in Afganistan as we do when we broadcast Lindsay Lohan's court proceedings live. So let's just ditch that newsy stuff and focus on what our viewers really want."

This strategy of following what's most popular probably works in the short run. But in the long run, it can be devastating to your brand if it comes at the expense of quality.