Subscribe to RSSBLOG: Print isn't dying – it's morphing. You should be too.
Jessica Pacheco. Photo by Carl Raymond.
There is a lot of fear that most print newspapers are going down the drain. Literally speaking, it’s quite accurate. Newspapers are drowning in their own drool right now. According to The Nieman Journalism Lab , most of the large Newspaper owners are filing bankt or close to it.
But that doesn’t mean they are all going to die.
No matter what there is still a huge need for news, or information, as we should all refer to it. Especially now in the internet age, people crave and have access to large quantities of free information. Why don’t we think they will still go to the same establishments to retrieve it? Just because there are a lot more places to go, doesn’t mean the originals will cease. It just means they must up their game in how they inform us.
When you ask people about what newspapers they know about, I guarantee you they’ll spit out something like, New York Times or Newsweek. We are used to these places and we like them. We don’t want them to go away.
The way we access and analyze information is changing. We can see this with the rise of such user-centered sites such as youtube and social networking sites such as facebook. Since the rise of these sites, people have been trained to be in control of what they publish, what they receive and how they “publish themselves”.
That’s a rather general example, but it does fit. So instead of saying that print is dying – it is much more fitting to say that it is morphing – evolving – if you will.
Furthermore, instead of panicking, everyone (especially newsies) should take this opportunity to study what is going on around them and get with it. Fix it. Cultivate it. Save it (if you feel that phrase appropriate). Stop the crying about not getting the Times delivered to your door and about how bloggers and tweeters will never replace good, thorough journalism.
Thankfully, students are taking advantage of the situation. There has been a huge boom in j-school enrollment around the country. Why? Because a lot of kids already get it.
It’s the time to act.
The way we inform the masses is changing, the way we gain information is changing, so let’s change with it and make it as plentiful as possible.
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9 Comments
2009-04-29
19:09:53
"Either case, the journalism school’s being bloated should be a worse sign…more competition for jobs."
Matija: I think the j-school being 'bloated' is a great thing. The more competition for recognition from professors will help us improve our journalism skills. This competition is going to make us better journalists, which will help us provide better reporting and nicer presentation to our audience.
Plus, half of the students 'bloating' the j-school aren't going to graduate from this institution. Once they realize how much work they have to put into it, they'll drop.
So hoorah for us dedicated journalism students!
2009-04-29
19:09:53
"Either case, the journalism school’s being bloated should be a worse sign…more competition for jobs."
Matija: I think the j-school being 'bloated' is a great thing. The more competition for recognition from professors will help us improve our journalism skills. This competition is going to make us better journalists, which will help us provide better reporting and nicer presentation to our audience.
Plus, half of the students 'bloating' the j-school aren't going to graduate from this institution. Once they realize how much work they have to put into it, they'll drop.
So hoorah for us dedicated journalism students!
2009-04-29
19:09:53
"Either case, the journalism school’s being bloated should be a worse sign…more competition for jobs."
Matija: I think the j-school being 'bloated' is a great thing. The more competition for recognition from professors will help us improve our journalism skills. This competition is going to make us better journalists, which will help us provide better reporting and nicer presentation to our audience.
Plus, half of the students 'bloating' the j-school aren't going to graduate from this institution. Once they realize how much work they have to put into it, they'll drop.
So hoorah for us dedicated journalism students!
2009-04-29
17:08:26
Nice piece. Oddly enough I was questioned by a Journalism 102 student about what I thought of all of the newspapers dying out. I thought about how pens were replaced by wordprocesors, which were then replaced by mass home computer use, then the laptop, etc. This did not end writing anywhere along the way.
Are people not reading news anymore? I think not. Jessica is right, there is a great opportunity for the next thing. Maybe that is private market writing, being part of on-line group that publishes writing. We may tailor our news as we want. With the open and free platform of the internet, you may even be able to filter out partisan politics and get actual news. Your writings could be grouped with others and transmitted around the world. First you may get read because of the topic you wrote about, then you gain followers who pay more for your direct writing or even, as will be with famous people, pay more for a famous persons newsbio. We already wish to look like so and so, now you can read what so and so reads.
I only write this much because my head spun on the subject for a good while afterwards. In closing, I agree with the 'We don't want them to go away.' statement. I think much of the lamenting is coming from those who, unlike Jessica, do not see a positive future. It is scary, as has been said, but only the unknown kind of scary, not the flesh-eating-zombie scary (which is really cool not scary). I am getting out my sunglasses. The future is so bright.
2009-04-29
17:08:26
Nice piece. Oddly enough I was questioned by a Journalism 102 student about what I thought of all of the newspapers dying out. I thought about how pens were replaced by wordprocesors, which were then replaced by mass home computer use, then the laptop, etc. This did not end writing anywhere along the way.
Are people not reading news anymore? I think not. Jessica is right, there is a great opportunity for the next thing. Maybe that is private market writing, being part of on-line group that publishes writing. We may tailor our news as we want. With the open and free platform of the internet, you may even be able to filter out partisan politics and get actual news. Your writings could be grouped with others and transmitted around the world. First you may get read because of the topic you wrote about, then you gain followers who pay more for your direct writing or even, as will be with famous people, pay more for a famous persons newsbio. We already wish to look like so and so, now you can read what so and so reads.
I only write this much because my head spun on the subject for a good while afterwards. In closing, I agree with the 'We don't want them to go away.' statement. I think much of the lamenting is coming from those who, unlike Jessica, do not see a positive future. It is scary, as has been said, but only the unknown kind of scary, not the flesh-eating-zombie scary (which is really cool not scary). I am getting out my sunglasses. The future is so bright.
2009-04-29
17:08:26
Nice piece. Oddly enough I was questioned by a Journalism 102 student about what I thought of all of the newspapers dying out. I thought about how pens were replaced by wordprocesors, which were then replaced by mass home computer use, then the laptop, etc. This did not end writing anywhere along the way.
Are people not reading news anymore? I think not. Jessica is right, there is a great opportunity for the next thing. Maybe that is private market writing, being part of on-line group that publishes writing. We may tailor our news as we want. With the open and free platform of the internet, you may even be able to filter out partisan politics and get actual news. Your writings could be grouped with others and transmitted around the world. First you may get read because of the topic you wrote about, then you gain followers who pay more for your direct writing or even, as will be with famous people, pay more for a famous persons newsbio. We already wish to look like so and so, now you can read what so and so reads.
I only write this much because my head spun on the subject for a good while afterwards. In closing, I agree with the 'We don't want them to go away.' statement. I think much of the lamenting is coming from those who, unlike Jessica, do not see a positive future. It is scary, as has been said, but only the unknown kind of scary, not the flesh-eating-zombie scary (which is really cool not scary). I am getting out my sunglasses. The future is so bright.
2009-04-28
20:07:27
dying...morphing...same thing.
Either case, the journalism school's being bloated should be a worse sign...more competition for jobs.
2009-04-28
20:07:27
dying...morphing...same thing.
Either case, the journalism school's being bloated should be a worse sign...more competition for jobs.
2009-04-28
20:07:27
dying...morphing...same thing.
Either case, the journalism school's being bloated should be a worse sign...more competition for jobs.