Years of right-wing media bashing that began long before Spiro Agnew spewed his "nattering nabobs of negativism" nonsense, combined with a recession that shows no sign of loosening its grip, an endless march to the Internet and an utter lack of leadership in the upper ranks of management have left journalism - or more precisely, newspapers - in the precarious state we find ourselves in today. Tens of thousands of professionals have been laid off or bought out in the past year. Wages are being slashed, furloughs imposed. Newspapers are filing for bankruptcy or shutting down entirely. Yet a new generation of reporters and editors are eagerly preparing to join the ranks.
What gives?
That question was one of the motivations for me accepting an invitation to speak to an investigative journalism class at San Diego State University today. I figured I could learn as much from the 10 or so upper division students as they could from me.
What I found was refreshing. Young, intelligent, motivated students disgusted with the injustices the masses endure and a desire to do something about it. What I found was a young woman who has scoured search warrant affidavits and other court records for an investigative story on crooked Border Patrol agents - all part of a class project. What I found was another young student looking into the way nightclubs are manipulating their clientele to attract more money into their establishments - all part of a class project.
What I found was a refusal to give up on the profession.
And what, they all wanted to know, did I think about our future?
I'm a contrarian, someone who is not convinced newspapers are done for, that our challenges are as much rooted in the economic calamity every industry is facing as it is on Craigslist. And I'm a firm believer that regardless of the vehicle - be it newspapers, the Web or some yet-to-be discovered medium - there will always be a demand for the skills a good journalist must develop. There will always be a demand for good storytellers. And there will always be a demand for people who can write. Clearly.
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2 comments:
The Minneapolis paper is trying to give its print subscribers some props. I like the idea: http://newsosaur.blogspot.com/2009/04/why-strib-lets-print-scoop-its-website.html
As an up-and-coming student journalist myself I can say it's quite an internal struggle to get through the major. On one hand we have professors telling us we are the pillars of democracy, the 4th estate, the dispensers of vital information which keeps this country free. Ok, so for someone like me, that sounds to be just the line of work I'm looking for. Then we have professional speakers (not just you- there have been many) who come and basically say "Run while you can. It's a sinking ship." The good news about that for me is that some students will actually listen and run the other direction, which keeps doors open for us brave souls who choose to keep going. It also makes us remind ourselves why we continue to keep going, as if running into a burning building. And it's because some of us can't wait to be the first to tell people what just happened, what really happened, and why. Because we learned the rush that comes with seeing your name on a byline. Maybe the nay sayers will have an opportunity to say "I told you so" later, but I'm keeping my right to say it also, and when I do, I'll put it in writing.
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