Could the Loss of the Newsroom Cause Problems?
I was talking to an old-time journalist the other day. Most of the discussion was about her contempt for the changing landscape of journalism - especially when it comes to print media.
She didn’t have a real problem with new media, such as blogs, but rather with the loss of the old media and the old traditions, particularly the newsroom. She’s not alone in believing the reason many print media newsrooms are disappearing is because of financial pressures, mainly those placed on publishers by investors and executives as they strive to not lose money for the business.
It’s no secret that technology is quickly changing the news landscape. According to Statistics Canada, “in 2005, about 62% of home Internet users - or 38% of Canadian adults overall - went online to view news or sports information.” My guess is this trend will continue, and will go on eating into the bottom-line of traditional news outlets, forcing them to either make cuts or find new revenue streams.
There are numerous ways to make cuts. Publications can encourage staff to work from home, or hire more freelancers, reducing the physical overhead of the publication. They can syndicate content among publications, saving money on staffing. All of these contribute to the disappearance of the newsroom.
The journalist I was talking to raised a number of points that emphasized the importance of the newsroom: Colleagues could feed off one another, exchange ideas and share information; younger reporters could learn from their more experienced colleagues, and the experienced reporters would help keep the rookies in line; and - perhaps most importantly of all - there was an emphasis on research and accurate reporting. These days, journalists have access to the Internet for information. Some rely on it way too much.
Already, Barack Obama has reportedly fallen prey to misinformation, which was partially fueled by the Internet. Not only has this unfairly hurt Obama’s credibility, it has also hurt the credibility of the news outlets that decided to report it as fact.
Furthermore, the loss of the newsroom has lead to a more personalized form of news, often reflecting the persona of the journalist. Yes, blogs and technology have also contributed to this, but with journalists isolated and having less access to peers, it will get worse. People like Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert routinely make light of this trend.
So what does all this mean for those of us who are trying to make sense of the news, and trying to derive some value from it? First, we must closely scrutinize all information. It’s evident some journalists are not corroborating their information. Second, we need to have methods to collect a more diverse range of media. We can’t ignore blogs.
Reporting has changed significantly since the days of Woodward and Bernstein. We need to ensure we continue to change with it.
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