Am I The Future of Media? I Hope Not

Amidst another day of depressing layoff news at major media outlets, I began to think about whether the “full time reporter/editor” job in itself is in danger. I don’t think it is, but the thought certainly bares consideration. Namely, will more and more media end up looking like me? Will they be part time contributors that have “career” jobs with other companies or a variety of gigs? It’s looking like the answer to that question is yes.

Just today it was announced that the NY Times would fold its City Section. Names of prominent San Francisco Chronicle reporters accepting buyouts began to surface, which basically eliminated most of the paper’s cultural coverage. Rumors abound that Nielsen Business Media may merge Adweek, Brandweek and Mediaweek into one title, or even shut down two of the three publications.

In a Washington Post article titled “In Baltimore, No One Left to Press the Police,” David Simon, founder of popular HBO show, “The Wire,” writes that with the Baltimore Sun' s depleted staff, there is virtually no one investigating serious crimes that take place in the city.

To be sure, contributors are good for many things, but investigative journalism and breaking news are usually not among them. For example, many of the publications I read, including Mashable, MediaPost, Alley Insider and others use contributing writers who also maintain other jobs. Even Advertising Age, it seems, has been adding to its roster of outside contributors. But – these contributors will never be able to take the place of full time reporters. Generally, they don’t break news or get in depth with meticulously sourced stories.

I was speaking to a reporter for a national business publication a few weeks ago, and the topic turned to citizen journalism. We gravitated towards the famous image of US Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson River, as many had hailed that as an act of citizen journalism since the picture first appeared on Twitter. “It’s great that the image got out there so fast,” the reporter said, “but that is just the image. Is that person going to sit in on the National Transportation Safety Board press briefings?” Or on another, but related note, “Is a local resident going to wake up early to go check the public records at the local police precinct?” We both agreed that neither were likely.

 

[image cred]

Comments

[Peter Himler]

Joe,

You're absolutely right to lament the demise of full-time reporting, or more aptly, journalism as a noble and reasonably compensated professional calling. I suppose HuffPost's launch of an investigative unit offers a glimmer of hope. peter

[tommartin]

I had a similar thought http://budurl.com/9sj2

I think in the end what we're seeing is the Walmartation of Media. All the excess fat is being squeezed out in favor of efficiency. So Adweek, Brandweek and Mediaweek, which all target basically the same audience and have similar content get bundled in a printed edition that speaks to the common needs of all three audiences.

Then a the digital products get to carry the special stories that truly only appeal to each of the three audiences.

I think that is the future we'll see.
@TomMartin

[Chris Lynn]

Joe, man, I have to disagree on this one. I think as we see the rise of local blogs run by concerned citizens, there will be more investigative reporting. Remember, bloggers are usually devoted fans and experts in their topic (like you or me). There are already citizen bloggers who cover city council meetings, police brutality, etc. I thinkas people realize the power they have with social media and self publishing tools, then we will see an increase in investigative reporting by the people themselves--esp in regards to corporate and civic watchdog groups...

What say ye?

[Joe]

Hi Chris,

I want to believe that we will see more from "local blogs run by concerned citizens" in terms of breaking news and investigative reporting.

However, right now, I just don't see it. Or, maybe I'm not looking in all the right places. Surely, there has been a lot of progress made in this area. But take Gothamist, for example, most of the stories are just links to stuff from the NY Times, NY Post, etc.

Also, we have to consider the expenses associated with investigative reporting - what if the story isn't just local? Lastly, it's still all about access. Saying, "I'm so and so from the New York Times," or in your case Austin American-Statesman still holds much more weight then reporting for a blog. That may not be the case for long, however.

Joe