RSSDon’t Let Newspapers Die… ?
26 Nov 2008 4 Comments
in Musing Tags: journalism, Musing
There’s a group page on Facebook called “Don’t let Newspapers Die” that everyone keeps sending me invites to join. For some reason, I’ve been resisting.
This post is just me trying to corral my thoughts on this, and they will probably seem quite naive to you more seasoned newspaper folks. I don’t have a great perspective on our industry, and I could feel differently if I worked for a major metro hit hard by cuts and buyouts (or indeed if I was a victim of them myself.)
But from where I sit at my little desk at my small newspaper in the middle of the country, I feel like I’m on the cusp of something huge. Well, not just me but all of us who work for this fantastic, scary, rewarding industry. I feel the effects of the Big Names decrying the death of newspapers but I also see the excitement and innovation from people like Rob Quigley and Erica Smith that just thrills me and makes me want to be a part of this change.
Because it simply feels like change to me. Not death. I don’t have anything against that Facebook group. I believe its intentions are wonderful. And I’m truly sad for over 13,000 journalists, editors, circulation departments, online folk, classifieds people, pressroom people – everyone who’s lost their job.
It’s a scary time. But to me, it feels like evolution. I struggle with trying to contain my enthusiasm sometimes because I really want to be a part of whatever’s coming for us, and it’s hard to do when this Big Change slowly taking place has such a high price.
I am no one in particular, and I have no magic fix or wisdom to impart. I’ve just been thinking about all of this ever since I was invited to join that group.
Nov 26, 2008 @ 13:34:13
Hear, hear. I don’t think you need any insight at all to be forward thinking in this industry in this climate. In fact, it’s more likely a weight around your neck.
My advice: don’t join that group. What’s it going to be, a bunch of commiserating about the “good old days?”
There’s never been a “golden age” of journalism. That means the best is yet to come. Keep on putting one foot in front of the other and trying new stuff.
Nov 26, 2008 @ 15:18:12
Agreed. There are many people I work with that are members and I’ve been encouraged to join as well. It sums up the traditional side of The Unfortunate Divide which wants to cling to a past they are comfortable with instead of embracing change and evolution.
Yah… don’t join. Maybe start a different FB group to help encourage thoughts, ideas and dialog regarding newspapers in the digital era?
Nov 26, 2008 @ 15:57:00
To be fair, the group does purport to support new media (“We need to bring newspapers into the 21st century & connect to a younger demographic as well as retaining the readers we have”), but it sounds like it’s still stuck on trying to preserve journalism institutions.
What bothers me is that while I feel for those who have been laid off, I don’t buy into the idea that newspapers are somehow “better” than blogs, Twitter, etc. Really the only use newspapers have is to employ journalists and popularize their work via the paper’s familiarity with readers (Web or otherwise). Worst case scenario, though (layoff), most journalists could promote their work just as well, if not better, via their own blog — which, by the way, would be as objective or biased as the writer wanted it to be.
Nov 26, 2008 @ 19:47:02
Thank you guys for your comments. Very thoughtful and food for thought too.
I ended up joining the Reinvent Journalism group. I think it speaks more to my enthusiasm and hope for the industry than the other group does.
As for the use of newspapers… I think there might also be a trust/respect level with newspapers that just isn’t quite there yet with blogs. But who knows, if more and more journos turn to the web then that could change.