Don't get me wrong, I think that digital news is great but I'm not sure that the Internet is an adequate substitute. Newspapers are cutting staffs and reducing their size it's true. The Internet is inherently small though. The resources it can commit to a story are questionable in this sense.
Local newspapers on the other hand still leave something to be desired for all the resources they have at their disposal. What I'm getting at is that it is not clear which medium is best or if either of them truly meet the measure of journalistic excellence.
As it is, news in all mediums doesn't really seem to be carrying out much of its investigative tradition. Mostly it's copy and paste reporting. Journalists have been reduced to stenographers. And most news we read simply reports on events, not the political workings in our communities. Partially it may be the corporate news environment that has either debilitated the ability for reporters to investigate stories even create decent reporters. Likely it's some of both. Bill Moyers captured this sentiment in an interview in which he decried the complacency of big media in the run up to the current Iraq war.
The Internet has provided an alternative to the corporate media system in its wake. The role it plays in local news is unclear though. It needs to cover local events and politics in a trustful and responsible way if it is to replace the paper. And it must be clear that these news sources are doing authentic journalism by seeking out the truth to its utmost.
Democracy will continue on as it has without the paper but the state of local news coverage and government is questionable. If the Internet can fill the void and exceed it, perhaps in ways not yet realized, then newsprint's time may have come. It won't be an easy obituary to read though.
Further resources:
http://www.slate.com/id/2214724/
http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1147/newspapers-struggle-public-not-concerned
http://adrianmonck.com/2008/12/democracy-collapse-journalism-provide-political-information/
Indeed, the demise of newspapers means a loss of a reliable media template. The tangible aspects of a paper coupled with the time-honored ideas of newspaper’s formality and credibility are hard to let go of. You state, “news in all mediums doesn’t really seem to be carrying out much of its investigative tradition. Mostly it's copy and paste reporting.” This has to do with a point that Stovall makes about news immediacy.
ReplyDeleteHe declares, “News must be reported and written at breakneck-speed.” In order for news companies to keep up with the others, and even the more informal news found in Twitter, Facebook, and blogs, they must report immediately without much investigative time. While this would seem most apparent in objective journalism, it is just as noticeable in arts and culture related news like CD reviews. Oftentimes, opinions from the first few reviews from credible sources will filter into a majority of the following reviews.
You cite the Internet as being “inherently small.” The Internet and its endless networks seem inherently enormous in many individuals’ eyes. Though resources can sometimes not seem legitimate, it is also the reader’s responsibility deem what he or she finds to be a credible source. The Internet’s role in local news seems just as clear as national news. Many Milwaukeeans turn to jsonline.com instead of actually getting the Journal Sentinel for their news.
As for the newspaper demise in general, it will be missed. The Internet definitely has a hard act to follow up. Let’s hope that Stovall is right when he states, “Good writing will be paramount.”
First off, good points Trapper. There are issues regarding the nature of the news industry that I either overlooked or was overly idealistic about, specifically in regard to the lack of investigative journalism. Yet in this case I think that immediacy is really more of a niche question. There are still independent news outlets, newspaper and otherwise, that pride themselves on their investigative nature.
ReplyDeleteNow in regards to the Internet's resources I mispoke. What I had intended to say, though clearly didn't, was that the staff of a given Internet news source was small. The resources it commands are not of the same magnitude as that of a large newspaper.
Another point of clarity it seems I need to make is in regards to my statement about local news and the Internet. I definitely agree that there are many local newspapers across the country that are converting their coverage into an online format that clearly conveys local news. What I was implying however was that the sheer number of options available online may overwhelm and vie for the ears of people. Local news sites should represent the first and most trusted place a person looks. My one fear is that such sites could be shouted out and marginalized.
Again, good points and thanks for the critique on my post.
I agree that it will be a hard loss for many people if the newspaper dies. I also agree with the fact that news in the sense of paper, either being delivered or bought on a daily breakfast run, has been a ritual in our era and many before us, but the truth is that the demise of the newspaper would not be here if there wasn't change happening. There are many resources for a person to get their news, but what our nation has become is dependent on the paper. I think this is because we believe it to be the most reliable resource and the most informative. The Internet can give us information and up-to-date stories about local news, worldly news, etc, but how much of this information is being given to us with a hundred percent honesty and clarity (like the newspaper which has direct reporters who we've depended on for years).
ReplyDeleteIt is very sad to see that the newspaper is dying, especially for those who have made it a necessity in their home. I agree with your statement on how many take information from other sources and copy and paste - just shows how this nation is untrusting. Maybe that's a reason why we depend on our newspaper so much.
Like you said, things will go on; our government won't stop being run by the president, our friends and families won't stop waking up and going to their jobs, but the newspaper that we have all seen, read and heard, is coming close to its end. Unfortunately, the people who have lost jobs and money because of this demise will be much more hurt than most. However, like everything our country goes through, we will move on; something new will arise and conquer the news world. It already has - the internet.