Last month, Eric Alterman wrote an article for the New Yorker named "OUT OF PRINT: The death and life of the American newspaper.” In this article he mentioned some of the factors of why newspapers might be coming to an end. After reading this article I found some interesting points, but I also found some points that did not really convince me.
Alterman made a very good point when he said that real reporting is expensive while aggregation and opinion are cheap. I definitely agree with Alterman. As a journalism student I know all the hard work it takes to write a story. I am not trying to say that blogging is very easy to do, but the way information is gathered it is done very different.
A reporter has to come up with an idea that is important to the public or an idea that is interesting. Then she has to do a lot of research so that she can get accurate information. After she is well informed she has to contact people to conduct interviews and make sure she gets enough voices in her story to show all sides. A blogger on the other hand looks for information that is already out there, gives his/her opinion, and then lets others do the same. As a news consumer I have to admit I do enjoy reading blogs. I know that there are good blogs out there like Mark Cuban’s blog. However there are those blogs that I do not take serious at all like Pink is the new Blog.
In this article Alterman mentioned that if newspapers would not exist certain stories would disappear as well. There are many feature stories about other places and people around the world that we would not be aware of if it was not for newspapers. Technology is here to speed up life, and that is exactly what it will also do to news. We would only see top news stories on Web sites. The way Web sites are designed is for people to get quick information. People just get what they need and want to know.
I agree with Alterman that people will be so much less informed about the world. As a potential professional journalist I want to write about those unusual events in the world, and it is very scary to think that maybe I will not be able to do that with my profession. I know there are a variety of bloggers that touch on so many different topics, but it is not the same experience. As a news consumer I would believe someone who has actually been there reporting on the issue. I would not believe someone who is just talking about an issue that he/she has read from someone else's story.
I do not agree that more Americans believe in flying saucers and 9/11 conspiracy theories than believe that American news media are balanced. I think we are at a time when more than ever people are very informed. Yes, I do agree that not all America news media are reliable, but that is why there are other options. Most Americans still rely on the news whether on newspapers, on TV, or online to get informed. If no one believed in what the American news media said then no one would read or watch. People now more than ever have all kinds of ways of researching, especially with the ability of the Internet, to see if the information that they are receiving is correct.
The news does not control what people think but rather offers options to what a person wants to believe. The only difference with print media and online media is that in print media the person stays with their thoughts while online media lets the person react. Some news media might seek to influence public policies, but not all news media are the same. That is why people should get their news from different sources. Big corporations own some news media, and the reporters cannot be as objective when they have to write a story concerning that specific corporation. There are independent news media that present a different view than what it is seen by corporate news media. That is why it is very important to get different views on stories.
Alterman also mentioned that 65 percent of the American public disapproves of the Bush Administration but how there is only very little representation anywhere in the mainstream media. I do not agree with Alterman. We do see people talk about how they feel when it comes down to the Bush Administration. We see it every time there is a story dealing with the Iraq War and any of the issues surrounding it. We see the mothers and families of soldiers speaking out. We see the American people debating about how much money is being spent on the war. Especially now with elections we are hearing the American people speak out. A lot of Americans are tired of how things are being done under the Bush Administration and want change.
Alterman makes it seem as if the public has no form of expression when it comes down to news media but they do. The job of a reporter is to give the public a voice not to silence it. It might have been like that in the past but today the circumstances are different. People can speak out without fear.
I believe that newspapers are going to eventually go away, but I think it will take some time before they do. Like Alterman mentioned in the article only 19 percent of Americans between the ages of 18 and 35 look at a daily newspaper. The average age of someone who reads the newspaper is 55 and over. Journalists have to find a way to keep informing people the way they do in print media. I think so much can be done online with the type of reporting that a print journalist does. It can be very informative and at the same time very interactive. I think print journalists should really try to figure out how they can put information online. I know we already see the Dallas Morning News online and other news media, but the only thing they are doing is basically just copying what they have in their newspapers to their online Web sites.
Journalists are not taking advantage of all the things that could be done online. Newspapers might not survive but journalist can if they put some effort. Of course as a journalism student I know that news media consists of business. That is why we need corporations backing us up so we can eventually grow. Newspapers might not exist, but we can see the same type of reporting online and perhaps even better. There can be Web sites for those who want quick news, and there can be Web sites for those who want compelling news. The Internet offers options, and that is exactly what reporters do as well. It will just depend on what my generation of journalist students wants to do since the faith of online journalism will depend on us.
