RE: “Letter—Journalism is a dying industry,” Aug. 23-Aug. 29
Modern Western society is digital and practically exclusively online. In light of these changes to how we create and consume media, it can be easy to misunderstand the pressures that the current journalism industry is facing.
Among the industry’s biggest issues is financing. In the past few decades, the largest source of revenue has been advertising—which is now on the decline. Smaller independent media companies across the country have been unable to keep up, and have either closed down or folded into large conglomerates. For current journalism and communications students, the odds of finding jobs in the industry may seem dismal.
But despite the pessimism, the truth is that the industry isn’t dying, but going through immense change.
The majority of major journalism outlets—think the New York Times, the Globe and Mail, and the Economist—are now mostly funded through online revenue.
One of the biggest positive changes in the shift from traditional to online media is the explosion of unique and diverse stories, and the inclusion of once-silenced voices.
For instance, take a look at Teen Vogue, which discusses politics and feminism as easily as it does makeup. Mass media company Condé Nast recently launched Them, a magazine that discusses culture, politics, and style, “through the lens of today’s LGBTQ+ community.”
These publications are run by a large media conglomerate—recognizing that there is a need for journalism that isn’t the voice of the majority.
Make fun of Buzzfeed all you like—but it is the main publication that immensely contributed to the rise of the #MeToo era, by breaking some of the first allegations against public figures, allowing other victims to come forward.
The cultural conversation we’re experiencing because of #MeToo could never have happened without the combination of excellent, in-depth journalism from many major publications and the internet.
Journalists are an essential component of a fair and just society. They are the watchdogs of governments and major corporations, and ideally ensure that the average citizen is informed of verified truth.
In the era of both “fake news” and #MeToo, this has never been more true.
The journalism industry isn’t what it used to be, and it never will be again. But, we shouldn’t be looking so mournfully at the past. There are many positives to publications transitioning online—easier and wider access to readers around the world, accessibility to those who need to use screen readers, as well as larger liberties with integrating video and photos into journalistic pieces. Personally, as a communications student, my career options have never been more diverse or interesting.
Right now, journalism is a bit like a caterpillar going into a chrysalis. It’s going through a state of rapid change, where it isn’t quite sure where or what it’ll end up being.
But, to say that the journalism industry is dying, is oddly pessimistic at best, and at worst, desperately uncreative.
The future of journalism is online—and it definitely looks alive.
