WBEZ Green Room podcast discusses the decline of expert criticism

The WBEZ and Chicago Sun-Times Arts and Culture podcast, Green Room, is examining the declining role of expert criticism in the modern media landscape. The discussion addresses how technological shifts, shorter attention spans, and shrinking budgets at legacy media organizations have contributed to a decline in professional opinion.

Recent industry changes include the New York Times reassigning four culture critics in 2025, the Chicago Tribune eliminating its film critic position, and the Chicago Sun-Times offering a buyout to film critic Richard Roeper. These developments follow a broader trend noted by a 2021 Pew Research study, which found that newsroom employment in the United States had fallen by more than a quarter since 2008, affecting the availability of columnists and critics.