The Future of Journalism: The times, they are a-changin’
With “citizen journalism” and blogging gaining popularity, it’s easy for journalists today to think that this is the beginning of the end of professional reporting. I think that the problem isn’t that journalism is ending but rather that it’s changing. So what needs to happen if everyone wants to keep their jobs (cough cough Chicago Tribune cough) is they need to change with the times. However, it’s hard to teach an old dog new tricks, so it’s no surprise that veteran reporters from the days of paste-ups and probably even type-writers haven’t jumped on the bandwagon and learned multi-media skills. It’s hard for even me to pick up on it, and I’m still in college learning it.
I think the future of journalism won’t be able to host photographers-only, print-reporters-only, broadcast-only, and on-line only news parties. The lines have to smudge so that we all learn from each other. I don’t think it’s about having a medium you never wanted to learn forced upon you, though it may seem like that. I think it’s about better reporting from an individual, expecting more from the reporter and getting as much information as possible—only now that information isn’t to be restricted to an either/or policy: that either a reporter gives a print article or they give a broadcast package, never both.
For better or for worse, newspapers, tv news and radio are most definitely not “dying,” as so many say. Newspapers survived the advent of radio, radio survived the advent of TV, and I’m sure all three will survive on-line media and blogging.
3 years ago