The State of the News Media

As a true lover of the newspaper, I chose to focus mostly on print media conclusions from the recently released (and HUGE) 2007 State of the News Media report.

If you want to read the whole thing, go for it. http://www.stateofthenewsmedia.org/2007/narrative_newspapers_intro.asp?media=3

Really though, it's crazy long.

Some Observations
- I was pleased to see the reports conclusion that people are NOT losing interest in media. Still, they do seem to be losing interest in newspapers – at least in their print form.
- I suppose this ties in well to the above point: THERE IS A WHOLE SECTION TITLED “DIGITAL JOURNALISM,” AND ANOTHER TITLED “ONLINE.” Even with how many of my professors have told me that digital journalism is an unavoidable part of reporting, I was still surprised to see a whole section of the report dedicated to its existence. As more of our consumers change their wants and stop buying newspapers, we are reacting with a steadily growing amount of online media. For me, the response will be full of protest. I really with I could have been a journalist 20 years ago.
- I was worried to see that the public is losing faith in their media – an understandable attitude, when even the beloved Katie Couric is accused of plagiarism. Read about it - http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18046837
A staggering quote from the report: “The number of Americans with a favorable view of the press, for instance, dropped markedly in 2006, from 59% in February, to 48% in July.”


Additional Thoughts
Basically, the report made me concerned about my choice to be a journalist in the 21st century. With the race to win-over viewers, more and more journalists are creating content with less fact-checking and care, leaving Americans with less faith in their media.

Furthermore, I think that the space for individuality and literary journalism – and the appreciation of a perfectly crafted sentence – are slipping out of most journalist’s values. We are asked to write our news in inverted-pyramid form, with little room for creativity.

And with hope that it is not naïve – I will continue to hold onto my deep love of printed newspapers. … Per the request of my professors and the rational part of me that knows they are right, I will try to become comfortable with online and digital media.

I could write pages on this massive report, but that’s the bulk of what I’m feeling about the state of journalism in 2007.