The future of journalism, part 2

Yesterday I pontificated on the changes in newspaper newsrooms from the hectic days depicted in Hollywood movies like "The Front Page" and "His Girl Friday." The loss of a number of high profile jobs and the transformation of newspaper rooms from busy hubs of activity into much more quiet and empty halls of inactivity has been startling to me. When I first started to witness newsrooms, even the teletype machines from powerful news gathering services like the Associated Press and United Press International were ever clattering with bulletins and alerts signaled by a series of bells. A five-bell alert was an extremely grave or serious bulletin such as the death of a president or the crash of an airliner and to hear these machines start to peal meant heightened blood pressure and a racing heart. Today's news to a wired nation and pushed out to wireless handheld devices such as PDAs and cellphones has created a very different delivery of news to end users. Newspapers and wire services no longer serve as the primary purveyors of breaking news. For example, last year's back-to-back deaths of Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett and the "Miracle on the Hudson" were announced largely over Twitter and Facebook. With thousands of journalists graduating from traditional journalism schools each year, faculties and advisors have been busy keeping up with the technological advances and the ramifications for the Internet and mass communication in the coming years. Although the lead is much slimmer than it ever has been before, newspapers still own the largest percentage of annual advertising. That means that radio, television and the Internet all have varying degrees of success behind the powerful news organizations that own many of the nation's newspapers such as Gannett, Hearst, Newhouse and Fox. It also means that newspapers have the most to lose. As to TV and radio news gathering organizations, much of what has shaped them has been a change from traditional methods of news delivery such as daily newscasts to more breaking news reports with continuous coverage as well as more entertainment-oriented stories that in previous eras would be seen as gossip mongering or salacious. So what does the future of journalism portend for daily subscribers and journalists? Well, in case you didn't hear the pronouncement from none other than Microsoft's Bill Gates, the future of newspapers - indeed for all media - is to go to a paperless, online delivery system. According to Gates, all reading will be online in the future. Maybe that's a bit optimistic on his part, but you can read the story here. Frankly, I agree that newspapers and television will be profoundly impacted by coming changes, but despite the love affair technical gurus have with the Kindle and the i-Pad, I don't see libraries emptying their racks of books in favor of a method of digital delivery. What will prevent this from occurring, in my humble opinion, will be the authors and publishers who control copyrights. Scholarly researchers, for example, will probably resist posting to a digital nexus until it can be determined that this method is one that will be consistently available to all other researchers and at all levels of interest. Also, finding a fair way of payment to the holders of the intellectual properties will be of prime concern. Consider last year's battle with John Grisham versus Amazon and Walmart, which were selling his $25 books for less than $10 each! I look to the way record companies have suffered at the hands of Internet downloads. No longer are music lovers interested in purchasing entire albums by an artist. They merely download the songs they want. This means a considerable revenue loss to composers and the producers and recording companies who provide the backing for the sessions and pay for other administrative costs. Imagine how a concept album like "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" or "Tommy" would be presented in today's digital delivery world. Journalists have much to fear as news reports get watered down into easily digested packets of a few well-chosen words. In-depth or investigative reports will undoubtedly suffer as news organizations are no longer able to afford to provide the backing to reporters or correspondents to generate reports over a long period. Will we become a nation of bloggers, using Twitter to alert our followers about breaking news or poking each other on Facebook? I'm not sure, but it certainly would appear that way. Since I consider myself both a journalist and a computer expert, I have my moments of indecision and feel the pull inherent in such a dichotomy. With all of the emphasis placed on ethical choices, to be made in the field, journalists are probably on a much better moral placement than ever before. The problem is that as the delivery method becomes more digital, there is a greater likelihood that hard-working journalists will become the morally-chaste victims of unemployment and corporate downsizing. Say it isn't so, but the vast majority of journalists coming out of schools could one day be singing the song "Buddy, Can You Spare a Dime?"

The future of journalism, part 1

There was a time when the time-honored badge of journalist meant someone would be clanking out letters on a noisy Remington in a newsroom filled with ringing phones and busy, scurrying folks. Then, one by one, the manual typewriters were replaced by more efficient electric ones like the IBM Selectric that allowed writers to change fonts as easily as replacing a small aluminum ball. The quieter sounds of electric efficiency and the gentler ringing tones on the telephones made the newsroom a place where writers could think about their stories, while still being in a busy hive of activity. Eventually, the IBM Selectric II with correcting tape and early word processors became the most desirable tools of the newsroom-bound journalist as reams of paper continued to circulate around the busy room. Then, bulky keyboards would input stories which would appear on monochrome cathode ray tubes (CRTs). The clicking sounds of computer keys made the newsroom even quieter than they were beforehand and the numbers of employees took a bit of a dip. The cacaphony of keys clicking sounded like crickets chirping in midday. It wasn't all that long before the personal computer invaded the space of the newsroom and the quietness of the keypads coupled with the loss of personnel due to industry-wide downsizing made the solitude and cavernous nature of most newsrooms seem palpable. Paper copies are today non-existent, as editing is done on computer screens. In more recent years some newsrooms simply stopped running. The downturned economy shrank local advertising while the Internet and its free classified ads like on Craig's List and through Google, Yahoo and other search engine sites aggregated viewers elsewhere. The staffs of top publications have been decimated as publishers have decided to offer early retirement to top writers rather than continue to pay them salaries far above what they would be required to pay for less seasoned new recruits. So, progress has been made, for good or bad. Hard-nosed, cigar chomping and heavy drinking editors and reporters have given way to determined, no-nonsense women journalists and well-mannered men, who have transformed newsrooms into quiet dens of respectability and civility. There's still a lot of cussing going on, but it's usually directed at management these days. Some have taken to referring to newspaper offices as snake pits. Forty years ago newspapermen were on the short side of the ethical equation. Many would eagerly take gifts and accept free tickets to any and all events. Slowly, though, the concept of being more professional and ethical in the way journalistic business was conducted was considered. New rules were put in place. Gifts being lavished on reporters are simply not tolerated today and even critics and reviewers are expected to pay their own way to events, oftentimes reimbursements not being provided readily by management. So, a young budding writer can look forward to low pay, long hours and virtually no perks in a business model that is collapsing upon itself. What does the future hold for professional journalists? More on this tomorrow.

Selling out bloggers

There's something new from the Google folks who essentially bring you this blog. They have initiated a partnership with Amazon.com that will allow bloggers like me to recommend items for sale on the Amazon website. Links to the Amazon.com site will be automatically generated and click-throughs that generate sales will be credited to the accounts of those bloggers who have installed the Amazon Integration template on their blog site. Ever since I started blogging, I have been fighting the temptation to commercialize my site and make money rather than to write on items that interest me. Ethically, I only want to write. I'm not interested in test marketing, recommending or endorsing products, no matter whose site they are sold over. As a journalist, it is my credo to write for an audience in an honest and fair manner. Oftentimes I am objective in my reporting for established publications. This blog does allow me the leeway, the luxury if you will, to be more subjective in my writing. I am writing to please both my audience and myself. As an objective reporter, it sometimes becomes irksome to have to seek out both sides of the story. It would be so much easier to make up the facts or enhance them in some way to make them more salacious or intriguing. Why let the truth disturb a reporter from getting out a good story? Unethical editors and publishers have been guilty of promulgating just such a philosophy. That is why yellow journalism, so called because of the xanthous sheets on which they were printed by rival publishers Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst, sprang up in the first place. Today it exists in the form of so-called publications like the National Enquirer and Tattler. I'm sorry, but I am not going to write about Elvis sightings or alien babies no matter how many financial inducements there are out there. Just like Alfred Nobel, Pulitzer had a late in life epiphany that brought about the creation of the Pulitzer Prize, considered one of the highest marks of achievement a journalist can be awarded. So corruption and degradation can be transmuted into decency and virtue. Apparently, though, one must wait until he has become wealthy and can see his way clear near the end of his life when morality means more than money. The sad truth is that this is a horrible time to be a journalist or writer. The economic downturn has slashed the advertising budgets of most businesses that still survive. Without advertsing revenue newspapers and magazines have been forced to reduce staff and numbers of available printed pages have decreased exponentially. That means more competition for less and less space. A timely story that might have seen the light of day a few years ago is now doomed. If it is accepted for publication, it undoubtedly will be slashed by an editor down to a more manageable size. When one considers that most journalists are paid by the word, lowering the final tally allowed means less money for writers to support themselves and their families. So the lack of finances means the temptation of selling out to Amazon, Google or Yahoo has never been more alluring. As a budding journalist in high school and college, I wrote humor columns ("With Pen in Hand and Foot in Mouth" and "Quotations from Chairman Smason"). One of my secret hopes was to take over as a column writer for a major publication or syndication circuit one day. Little did I suspect that my dream job would be a victim of corporate downsizing and economic bad times. There is little room on newspaper staffs for humor writers these days, but it could reasonably be argued these are the times when levity and comedy are probably most needed. So, dangle those links in front of me, Google and Amazon. I shall be firm and resolute, a beacon of journalistic integrity for all to see. While I bemoan the lack of available printed space and the loss of revenue for all writers, I understand these are tough times. I resolve I will do all I can to write ethically and beyond reproach for as long as I can. It's a good thing, too, because I thought I just saw Elvis walking with his alien love child.

Newspapers: another one bites the dust...

I seem to know just how to pick 'em. I'm talking about careers. As a high school student well before the lure associated with Woodward and Bernstein, I was particularly drawn to journalism. I didn't need the glory of a byline or an above-the-fold story. No, I took my inspiration from the love of writing in an incisive and informative style that would entertain and, perhaps, bring a smile to the face or a tear to the eye. I will admit that an occasional byline would be nice, though. I thought the newspaper was a formidable force and that it would always be an institution for the ages. Like Spider-Man or other classic superheroes, being a member of the fourth estate carried with it great responsibility in response to that great power of working to keep society informed. Yet, small as we were, reporters, columnists and journalists-at-large could challenge the most powerful figures and most daunting institutions in a way that was to be respected. The public's right to know took priority over anything else except, perhaps, for protecting one's sources. That might occasionally land someone in jail due to overzealous prosecution, but it was a necessary evil were the public to be served and sources to be kept safe. Anyone who saw "The Front Page," "His Girl Friday" or "All the President's Men," know roughly how a giant newspaper works. The editor screams at the reporter that he wants his big story or the reporter is fired. The pressure to produce the story by day's end is intense, but it's all about selling papers. And what is the engine behind determining the size of a newspaper? Why advertising, of course. Advertising is the engine that keeps the printed word on a page, but it has been shrinking as fewer and fewer readers opt to get their news from traditional newsprint outlets and instead opt for newer sources from the Internet and over cutting edge hand-held wonders like Blackberry devices. Newspapers are fighting for their lives as Craig's List and others have gobbled up classified advertising, once considered the bastion of the local newspaper. The downturn in the economy has also taken its toll. With revenue streams turning to tiny rivulets, cost-cutting measures involved offering early retirement packages or whole scale firings. Those who managed to keep their jobs were oftentimes doing more (like blogging) in an attempt to beef up a web presence for the newspapers' own Internet sites. A few weeks ago it was the Rocky Mountain News, which shuttered its doors after almost 150 years of continuous operation. The latest victim in this ongoing tragedy is the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, which will publish its last newsprint version on Tuesday. After that, what staff remains will be strictly writing for the web. The Hearst Corporation made that announcement yesterday in reaction to its inability to sell the 146-year-old newspaper it has operated in a joint operating agreement (JOA) with its cross-town rival The Seattle Times. The idea of a JOA, similar to the one the Rocky Mountain News enjoyed with the Denver Post, is to keep competing newspapers viable in the marketplace and to share resources. The idea of getting a "scoop" over a competitor has diminished as necessities and practicalities of staying financially afloat have dictated how newspapers work in a market with a competitor. It is not unlike having a "pool" for reporters. Sharing resources allows two papers the greatest probability that each will survive as opposed to one titan slaying another. Most agree that a newspaper monopoly is not necessarily in the public interest. The announcement by Hearst yesterday means Seattle will become a one-paper town, although, technically, the P.I.'s product will shift to an all-digital format. It seems to me that it is only a matter of time before this model will be found across the nation and poor reporters and columnists will be forced to become headline writers and bloggers. Not that there's anything wrong with that, mind you. It seems writing for a newspaper today could be compared to being a blacksmith. It's a necessary trade enjoyed by a very few and certainly not of much importance to all those people out there driving their cars.

The death of a newspaper

Thursday came the news that Friday would be the final edition of Denver's Rocky Mountain News, a mainstay of journalism in that area for almost 150 years. The news for newspapers has been grave over the course of the last 12 months with cutbacks on almost every major newspaper from the New York Times to the San Francisco Examiner to the Cleveland Plain Dealer and even to the only newspaper in New Orleans, the Times-Picayune. Staffs have been depleted and the lucky ones have been able to grab exit packages while other longtime reporters have simply been shown the door. Many people blame the demise of the newspaper as an entity on several factors, primary among them is the Internet and broadcast media as to how the younger generation receives its news. Newspaper advertisers don't relish appealing to the 70+ set, who are the most voracious of newsprint readers. Giant Internet sites like Craig's List have drained badly needed income from the coffers of local newspapers, especially in the case of classified advertising that was a major revenue stream until the last several years. It does not bode well for budding journalists who are looking to start their careers and it makes me thankful that I am not totally dependent on my writing for my support. The future of traditional newspapers that are printed and distributed by newspaper delivery personnel appears to be dubious. Keep in mind that I am using one of the newer forms of communication through this blog and may, in some small way, be creating a climate that is indisposed to reading newsprint. In the case of the Rocky Mountain News, one of my college cronies, Mike Rudeen, lost his job and his highly popular Ask! column in which readers would send in a question that he would research and answer both online and in the paper. Unfortunately, the paper's parent company could not find a buyer and decided to close its door rather than bleed red ink for another day. Mike, who also had a stint in radio broadcasting is a true journalist in every sense of the word. Passionate, committed and with a no-nonsense approach to his work, he will be looking for work in the Denver area in an already-clogged market during a period of economic upheaval. Rudeen has three children including a set of twins and a wife to support. Best of luck to you, my friend.