I read the newspaper probably once every other week if I don’t forget to pick one up. And I write for a college newspaper, plan to be an author, and love more than just about anything to read. Please tell me, what is wrong with this picture? If someone with my interests and career goals can’t seem to make a habit of getting a newspaper, why do we think the average American citizen will? With the advent of the Internet, iPhone, television, blogs, and about 50 billion other technological advancements made in the past years, there should be absolutely no surprise that newspapers have been thrown under a carpet somewhere. Why? Not because they’re not valuable. In fact, I will argue that news reporting is an essential factor to the continuing of our country. However, the real reason is because they have failed to evolve along with the rest of the world.
In the article (link is above) “The Reconstruction of American Journalism”, the writers argue this same fact- journalism has got to change. But first, they argue about why news reporting is even necessary at all. I mean, why read the New York Times when we can just watch the parody version of what’s happening on the Saturday Night Live news segment, right? Wrong! As Downie and Schudson say, “reporting the news means telling citizens what they would not otherwise know. News reporting draws audiences into their communities.” SNL is not going to explain how your medical insurance just flew out the window, or that the weird guy that lived on the next block just got arrested for theft. Without journalism, the world and each community in it would be disconnected in irreparable ways.
Another reason why news reporting is necessary- it holds the government and other authority figures accountable for their actions. If a high school principal is rumored to be abusive, this could easily slip by as slander. Write it down in black and white with quotes and witness? Fired and in jail. “Independent reporting not only reveals what government or private interests appear to be doing but also what lies behind their actions. This is the watchdog function of the press—reporting that is aggressive and reliable enough to instill fear of public embarrassment, loss of employment, economic sanctions, or even criminal prosecution in those with political and economic power” (Downie 2009). This is a not just journalist bragging about their importance, but the truth. Remember a man named Walter Cronkite? Let me refresh your memory. President Johnson refused to run for office again, saying “If I’ve lost Walter Cronkite, I’ve lost middle America.” Needless to say, the power he had was pretty huge.
However, journalism needs to catch up with the times- go virtual! Most already have, but are dragging their feet and still have not got it down to an art yet. Nevertheless, they need to get started on it now, for this is definitely the way of the future of journalism. I look up the news online everyday. From the LA Times to the Press Enterprise to Yahoo! News, I get my fix of every type of reporting all under 10 minutes while I’m on the go. What could possibly be better than that? It also has its benefits for reporters. “Journalists can research much more widely, update their work repeatedly, follow it up more thoroughly, verify it more easily, compare it with that of competitors, and have it enriched and fact-checked by readers” (Downie 2009).
Sadly, many are losing money, and therefore Downie and Schudson came up with this masterful plan- ask the government for funding. Well guys, I was completely with you up until this point. Now I know that you have utterly lost your mind somewhere in between sanity and crazy. Why would we fight to keep the institution that holds the powerful accountable, and then give them the keys to run the place? In a country where your cars, bank accounts, and homes are now owned by our thoroughly debt-ridden government, there is no way that anybody with a care for our country and its democratic ideals should desire this for the journalism industry. In fact, philanthropists, donors, and all people in general should be standing in line to offer their money to keep that from happening. But then again, that’s just one college girl’s opinion for you. And I don’t even read the newspaper.
Good.
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