Are the days of community journalism over? Is newspaper journalism dead?
Now, let me get you real confused. The answer to the above questions is “yes” and “no.”
Mark Twain, who was one of this country’s pioneering journalists, once said, “The rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated.” That quote can be easily applied to the newspaper industry today.
Newspapers are a long way from being dead but the business is definitely headed in a new and bold direction. If you watch any television news at all you have probably noted some anchors like CBS’s Katie Couric hovering like a vulture anxiously awaiting the newspaper’s demise.
Newspaper readership and circulation are down. A recent survey revealed the most people like getting their news over the Internet. However, as one TV report noted where do they think that news is coming from – newspapers duh.
The Internet is a brave new world for news consumers. In the print industry it is fairly simple to determine the difference between a reputable newspaper on the newsstand from the tabloid at the grocery store counter. Simply read the headlines – “Council passes rate increase ordinance” as opposed to “Big Foot spotted near lake front property. The choice is not so clear out in cyberspace.
Besides thousands of newspaper and TV station Web sites there almost as many blogs. Beware of specific blog sites, the operator has his own agenda and you are going to get a one-sided view of the topic.
Newspapers have worked hard during the course of this nation’s history to establish credibility. Credibility means a fair and accurate assessment of the news. If newspapers are to survive on the Internet they must maintain their integrity in reporting the news.
There are advantages to Web journalism. Now newspapers are working on a level playing field with their TV and radio counterparts in that the news can be provided almost instantly rather than having to wait for the next press run.
What has caused the sudden rapid decline of newspapers? There are several factors. The first is the steady increase in the cost of newsprint (the paper on which it is printed). This is difficult to understand since newspapers are the primary if not the only customer of newsprint manufacturers. If newspapers go under so does the newsprint industry.
The most serious problem is the declining advertising base. This recession is drying up businesses at an alarming rate. Let’s face it; newspapers, radio or TV cannot survive without advertising revenue. Lost wages from unemployed subscribers also has dramatically affected circulation.
I believe there always will be a market for good, dependable community journalism. However, I am not thoroughly convinced that the Internet can satisfy every aspect of service that newspapers have provided over the years. There will be an awful lot of empty scrapbooks of student athletes, budding scholars and married couples.
However, the arrival of the Internet has forever changed the face, course and direction of community and newspaper journalism. I am hopping there will be a successful union in which the printed page and the electronic page will come together to give readers the best possible news coverage. It is my desire to see that the Daily World is a pioneer in that endeavor.
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Are the days of community journalism over? Is newspaper journalism dead?
Now, let me get you real confused. The answer to the above questions is “yes” and “no.”
Mark Twain, who was one of this country’s pioneering journalists, once said, “The rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated.” That quote can be easily applied to the newspaper industry today.
Newspapers are a long way from being dead but the business is definitely headed in a new and bold direction. If you watch any television news at all you have probably noted some anchors like CBS’s Katie Couric hovering like a vulture anxiously awaiting the newspaper’s demise.
Newspaper readership and circulation are down. A recent survey revealed the most people like getting their news over the Internet. However, as one TV report noted where do they think that news is coming from – newspapers duh.
The Internet is a brave new world for news consumers. In the print industry it is fairly simple to determine the difference between a reputable newspaper on the newsstand from the tabloid at the grocery store counter. Simply read the headlines – “Council passes rate increase ordinance” as opposed to “Big Foot spotted near lake front property. The choice is not so clear out in cyberspace.
Besides thousands of newspaper and TV station Web sites there almost as many blogs. Beware of specific blog sites, the operator has his own agenda and you are going to get a one-sided view of the topic.
Newspapers have worked hard during the course of this nation’s history to establish credibility. Credibility means a fair and accurate assessment of the news. If newspapers are to survive on the Internet they must maintain their integrity in reporting the news.
There are advantages to Web journalism. Now newspapers are working on a level playing field with their TV and radio counterparts in that the news can be provided almost instantly rather than having to wait for the next press run.
What has caused the sudden rapid decline of newspapers? There are several factors. The first is the steady increase in the cost of newsprint (the paper on which it is printed). This is difficult to understand since newspapers are the primary if not the only customer of newsprint manufacturers. If newspapers go under so does the newsprint industry.
The most serious problem is the declining advertising base. This recession is drying up businesses at an alarming rate. Let’s face it; newspapers, radio or TV cannot survive without advertising revenue. Lost wages from unemployed subscribers also has dramatically affected circulation.
I believe there always will be a market for good, dependable community journalism. However, I am not thoroughly convinced that the Internet can satisfy every aspect of service that newspapers have provided over the years. There will be an awful lot of empty scrapbooks of student athletes, budding scholars and married couples.
However, the arrival of the Internet has forever changed the face, course and direction of community and newspaper journalism. I am hopping there will be a successful union in which the printed page and the electronic page will come together to give readers the best possible news coverage. It is my desire to see that the Daily World is a pioneer in that endeavor.
