Thursday, March 18, 2010
The Future of Investigative Journalism
Investigative journalism has been shining light into the dark nooks and crannies of shady business and wrongdoings for decades. As readers and citizens, we want and need this stuff. People have a right to be informed when a grocery chain is selling bad meat or when a politician is up to no good.
Can we imagine a world without the likes of Pulitzer Prize winners Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward, who are known for the Watergate reporting? What could be going on behind the scenes in this country if we as Americans have no one checking up?
That sort of journalism is as important as any other and will not be done away with as long as journalism is still doing the public a service. The real thing to consider is how long journalism as a whole will be needed, and what form it will take.
Combine the ever-increasing and improving technological advances along with a troubled economy and you have the perfect ingredients for newspaper arsenic. While this media outlet will probably not see death in the near future, it’s likely to need the intensive care unit before long.
What can be done? According to Chris O’Brien, columnist for the San Jose Mercury News and head of the Next Newsroom Project, the newsroom should be multi-platform, be the center of continuous innovation, keep the community at the center of all it does, collaborate with other local newsrooms and work hard at building and maintaining trust. Those are the things he feels will keep a newsroom going.
The most important thing people hear when it comes to being a good journalist these days is to be versatile. This is because with the changing technology, the way we receive news will be very different in the near future. In fact, it already is.
While print newspapers may not be as necessary as before, people still need their news. Many are likely getting it online, as it is mostly free and easy to do. As long as newspapers and journalists keep up to date with technology, they will be needed. It’s important to hone your skills when it comes to how to report news on paper, on video, audio or on the Web. Never be lazy in learning new things.
Focusing on local news is also a big one. People can easily access national news from a plethora of Web sites, but local news has few options. Focus on things going on in the area. Know the people, know what they care about, what they want to know. Yahoo can’t tell you what the city council decided in its meeting.
If the focus goes to online news, how can your paper survive? It can’t if the news is free. Advertising is always a way to make a profit, but it isn’t enough. How do you know what to charge? The Future of Journalism blook says you charge whatever it takes. You have to make a profit to survive. Some companies will charge a monthly fee, though the right price is up for debate. Some might want to charge as little as $4.95 a month like the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, while the blook says it’s reasonable to go as high as $20 if that is what it takes for your paper to profit. Others are looking into charging per article looked at, while some have tossed around the idea of charging meter-style, determined by how long you are parked on that Web site.
News will always be around and journalists will always be needed. The number of journalists needed is questionable. If a paper downsizes, people lose their jobs. As mentioned earlier, journalists have to stay informed and educated in technological changes. John Yemma, editor of the Christian Science Monitor, says that there will likely be an increase in journalists who work remotely. Yemma also says the quality of work turned out by these journalists is likely to go down. If there are fewer journalists to do the news, there will be less coverage, and we as readers will suffer because of it. The other problem Yemma lists is amateur blogging being used to fill in where experienced reporters would have been before.
No doubt about it, journalism is changing. How we get our news and who provides it is up in the air. Nevertheless, investigative reporters will always be needed, regardless of downsizing and the economic uncertainty.
Can we imagine a world without the likes of Pulitzer Prize winners Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward, who are known for the Watergate reporting? What could be going on behind the scenes in this country if we as Americans have no one checking up?
That sort of journalism is as important as any other and will not be done away with as long as journalism is still doing the public a service. The real thing to consider is how long journalism as a whole will be needed, and what form it will take.
Combine the ever-increasing and improving technological advances along with a troubled economy and you have the perfect ingredients for newspaper arsenic. While this media outlet will probably not see death in the near future, it’s likely to need the intensive care unit before long.
What can be done? According to Chris O’Brien, columnist for the San Jose Mercury News and head of the Next Newsroom Project, the newsroom should be multi-platform, be the center of continuous innovation, keep the community at the center of all it does, collaborate with other local newsrooms and work hard at building and maintaining trust. Those are the things he feels will keep a newsroom going.
The most important thing people hear when it comes to being a good journalist these days is to be versatile. This is because with the changing technology, the way we receive news will be very different in the near future. In fact, it already is.
While print newspapers may not be as necessary as before, people still need their news. Many are likely getting it online, as it is mostly free and easy to do. As long as newspapers and journalists keep up to date with technology, they will be needed. It’s important to hone your skills when it comes to how to report news on paper, on video, audio or on the Web. Never be lazy in learning new things.
Focusing on local news is also a big one. People can easily access national news from a plethora of Web sites, but local news has few options. Focus on things going on in the area. Know the people, know what they care about, what they want to know. Yahoo can’t tell you what the city council decided in its meeting.
If the focus goes to online news, how can your paper survive? It can’t if the news is free. Advertising is always a way to make a profit, but it isn’t enough. How do you know what to charge? The Future of Journalism blook says you charge whatever it takes. You have to make a profit to survive. Some companies will charge a monthly fee, though the right price is up for debate. Some might want to charge as little as $4.95 a month like the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, while the blook says it’s reasonable to go as high as $20 if that is what it takes for your paper to profit. Others are looking into charging per article looked at, while some have tossed around the idea of charging meter-style, determined by how long you are parked on that Web site.
News will always be around and journalists will always be needed. The number of journalists needed is questionable. If a paper downsizes, people lose their jobs. As mentioned earlier, journalists have to stay informed and educated in technological changes. John Yemma, editor of the Christian Science Monitor, says that there will likely be an increase in journalists who work remotely. Yemma also says the quality of work turned out by these journalists is likely to go down. If there are fewer journalists to do the news, there will be less coverage, and we as readers will suffer because of it. The other problem Yemma lists is amateur blogging being used to fill in where experienced reporters would have been before.
No doubt about it, journalism is changing. How we get our news and who provides it is up in the air. Nevertheless, investigative reporters will always be needed, regardless of downsizing and the economic uncertainty.
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