The title of my blog is "Where are we going?" because I intend to write about the shift the industry is seeing.
I'd like to argue that maybe we should stand pat.
Last weekend at the Scripps-Howard National Journalism Awards, the reporters, editors, news directors and anchors who received awards had a common theme to their acceptance speeches: no matter how much the industry changes, a primary role of the press needs to focus on solid investigative, accountability journalism.
One reporter even suggested that in a time where news executives are claiming they cannot afford to pay for investigative journalism, the real question they need to be asking is "how can we afford NOT to have this kind of journalism?"
I left the awards inspired, but not entirely convinced. After all, the news organizations that accepted the awards were the big boys -- The New York Times, Chicago Tribunes and Washington Posts of the world -- and not little newspapers and television stations with shrinking budgets.
But I did realize in the following week that the little guys have a few battles to win too. This week, my 14,000 circulation college newspaper ended a stalemate with Ohio University to obtain records we believe to be public. It won't be Pulitzer-winning work, but it's a small victory for David in an era of corporate Goliaths.
1 comment:
Interesting post. I think journalists sometimes forget the important role they play. Before she died, columnist Molly Ivins commented on newspaper companies' solution to their problems was to make "our product smaller and less helpful and interesting." Instead of looking to always cut costs to make money, perhaps money could be made if news organizations make an effort to invest in their product.
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