The invention of the cylinder printing press by Richard
March Hoe in 1847 allowed the print media industry to expand, with newspapers
being delivered on almost every doorstep. Today, the invention of the internet
has had a huge impact on all businesses and industries. The News industry is no
exception to this.
The Print media industry is struggling to cope. Blogs, user
generated content and alternative news agencies like Wikileaks has given traditional mainstream media a lot to compete
with. News is now a commodity easily available online, at the click of a button
with no price attached. Gone are the days where a drive to a corner-shop and a
purchase of a newspaper would be the price for an updated, balanced and, in
most cases, reliable account of the happenings around the world. Just as the
printing press brought print its fame. The internet is now throwing the
spotlight on online media, leaving print media in the dark.
But what does this mean for newspapers like the New York Times
and what does this mean for the journalists who work there? Is journalism a
degree worth studying for?
The trend is to adapt or die. In the movie Page One: Inside the New York Times,
columnist David Carr says the New York Times uploads 100 videos every month.
The Times also owns about 80 blogs. “We are fully engaged in the revolution,” said
Carr. In the same debate, Carr presents a printed version of Newser, a site which
aggregates all news content on the web. He says, mainstream media competes with itself
online. The site features all noteworthy news content of the day. In Carr’s
printout, he cuts out all the online content originating from mainstream media
organisations such as the Times,
leaving all alternative online news. There is hardly anything left. The front
page of the newspaper may not be read anymore, but mainstream media is still
alive. It has evolved into a cheaper form. This may be cheaper for the average
person wanting to read an article for free online instead of buying a
newspaper, but information news is not cheap to make.
Page One: Inside the New York Times is a documentary looking at the extinction of Print media and how this affects one of the most powerful newspapers in the print media industry.
The movie offers us a glimpse inside the daily work performed
by quality reporters, editors and columnists in the New York Times. The on-screen tour of these officers filled me with
awe as a reporter. The reporters research, pitch and write stories efficiently
and with great skill. The movie explored how all this might soon be, for
nothing. In 2011, there was a 30% decline in advertising revenue. In 2009, 100 reporters
lost their jobs because the Times could simply not afford to keep them.
So, the work these reporters do, no matter how good, can all
be for nothing. This is not something I, as a journalism student, have not
heard before. Despite these numbers I, along with other members in my writing
class, chose writing and editing as a medium to make news. Despite the easier
access, I still buy newspapers and magazines. Maybe I am not being realistic
but I still hold onto the dream that there are many others like me and that
old-fashioned print, the sound of turning pages and the smell of crisp paper will
always be preferred as a news medium for some people. The amount of media
agencies gone bankrupt blatantly points us to the conclusion that online,
alternative news is the only way to survive.
The movie, however, concludes that the public needs the money
and platforms mainstream media provides in order to get information to blog,
tweet, video and facebook about. I, for one, think this is true. An
authoritative voice is needed to inspire and pull-together more content,
comment and opinion. A bunch of blogs shouting at each other has no unifying
voice. This is why I still plan on becoming a journalist for the written and
printed word. The world needs more people uniting things and tying them
together.
Ps. This is a
hilarious video I found about online news.. sort of. Take a look-see.
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