“The great challenge of our time is this: The institutions that form the foundation and superstructure of America's political and social life are being distorted and disrupted by powerful, impersonal, corrosive forces. Among the most consequential of these are technology, individualism, commercialism and American capitalism.These same forces threaten American journalism. Resisting the damage being done to journalism by these forces requires courage -- courage in the form of a willing assumption of personal risk in defense of a strong, vital and public-spirited free press as a necessary institution of American democracy.” (Harris, 2006)
Of the overwhelming and almost intrusive material I have read, an overall tone of panic and apprehension resound that the internet is and will adversely affect journalism as we know it. Particularly poignant to me is the gloomy forecast predicted for television news.. even to the point of it’s extinction. The masses seem to be crying out that there is a bloody battle ahead is we are to defend our air time, if it can be maintained at all.
One woeful worrier warned that the internet will take the reporter out of reports.
“Everyone is a publisher now. And if everyone has a Website, everybody is, arguably, in at least some circumstances, a journalist.. The internet, which democratizes speech, will therefore inexorably withdraw from journalists the special status they have achieved in certain kinds of accreditation and in their ability to protect their sources and resource materials.” (Liptak, 2000)
Dan Rather himself, as managing editor and anchor of CBS Evening News, expressed apprehension concerns about the future of internet and journalism.
“The internet as town square- a gossiping, teeming hub of communication- is undeniably part of its excitement. But those of us who do the news and care about doing it right must remember that we are bound to separate gossip from fact. We might hope that journalists in established media might tame this impulse on the Internet, or at least aid in separating the gossip from the news. But we have reason to fear that the trend is working the other way… The future, if we dare look into its murky cloud, seems to be taking us toward a marriage of television and the Internet.” (Rather, 1999)
But, even as he addressed the World Affairs Council, he admitted himself that there may be a silver lining. Perhaps the new media will make it possible to bridge a gap that television screens and newspaper headlines never could- interaction with your audience. His thoughts were illustrated in an example well received in an academic forum.
“If you want your students to retain what you say, don’t just lean against a lectern and let pearls of wisdom drop from your lips. Engage them. Question them. Consider how much better you would remember the content of the evening news if you were, in some way, a participant…”
Though it seems to me they are less abundant and harder to hear, more optimistic opinions can be found to brighten up a decidedly grim road ahead.
“There is a very important fact that all journalists must bear in mind- our future does not lie on the Web.” (Regan, 2000)
“If anything, the arrival of the Internet in the news world has increased the flow of news and has rooted many news operations even more in their communities- both of which are beneficial things to those who worry about social capital.” (Lee, 2000)
This particular happy news hopeful argued that the truth about the internet is that users expect information to be free and that every news operation that has tried to charge for its material has been pummeled. In this, that there is no revenue in internet news, there is security that the mediums kept in business disseminating news will stay in business.
Although the methods by which we distribute news may change, the sources who do so will be the same. The same trusted journalists will be to whom the public runs for news, and the rest will be weeded out.
Of sitting in a the-world-is-ending conference regarding the matter, one journalist observed,
“It’s like listening to a group of 15th century monks talk about the printing press.” (Weise, 2000)
Technology has always changed journalism, and always will, but just as we cling to the fundamentals of our testimonies when what lies ahead seems uncertain, so can we now.
“The reality is that the elements that make good journalism, and good journalists, will never change.” (Weise, 2000)
Works Cited
Harris, Jay. On the Subject of Change, Vo.60, Number 2. Nieman Reports Summer 2006 Issue.
Liptak, Adam. The Internet, the Law and the Press. Nieman Reports Summer 2006 Issue.
Rather, Dan. Meeting at the Internet’s Town Square. Nieman Reports Summer 2006 Issue.
Regan, Tom. The Internet, Technology, and Journalism. Nieman Reports Summer 2006 Issue.
Lee, Rainie. Peering into the Digital Future. Nieman Reports, Winter 2000.
Weise, Elizabeth. The Beginning (and End) of an Internet Beat. Nieman Reports Summer 2006 Issue.
