If you were to ask five people of the last five generations the question of whether or not traditional journalism is a dying industry, you’re bound to get five totally and completely different answers. Surprising right? Some might say so. Others? Well, others may be able to see the other side of what most assume is the dying industry of traditional journalism.
Image by Faze Teen
With the progression of advancements both technological and economic, the world will experience a change in ideals and the way things are done. That part is understood by most. So, why is it when we see that journalism too is engaged in a shift from the traditional to the contemporary, it is assumed that the traditional is a dying industry? This may be in part due to the ways that the whole “out with the old, in with the new” mantra has taken shape. We’ve been conditioned to believe that in all cases, old ways of things die out while new ways of doing things replace them immediately. I can say without a shadow of a doubt that this is just simply untrue. In a Washington Post article, the title of the piece says it all; “Journalism isn’t dying. But it is changing in ominous ways.” Throughout the piece, it notes that while some, mainly those in the older generations, believe that traditional journalism is something that is becoming a thing of the past, there are also those who strongly believe that it is merely something that will make a comeback in just a few short years.
This is believed because of the recent interest in things of the past and the nostalgia it can bring. That is, partaking in and doing things the way it once used to be for everyone everywhere. Part of that is picking up a newspaper oppose to checking the news on your phone or even getting the news from your television. Many believe this slow interest of newspapers and traditional means of getting the news also comes from the way that news from television, social media outlets, and even podcasts are often very opinionated, doesn’t follow the same ethics as traditional media, and simply cannot be trusted. Accuracy, even in the age of digital media where information and correctness is more easily accessible and simple to remedy than by traditional means sees a lot of inaccuracy. In fact, it is noteworthy that a Pew REsearch study published this past March found that,
In the current age of digital media, 23% of U.S. journalists say that getting the story right is what the news industry does the worst job at.
Image by Pew Research
When such a high percentage of people believe that getting the story right, one of the central components of good journalism, isn’t even done right, thats a problem. This is something that has come about in the age of digital journalism and is the reason that so many from older generations have chosen to revert back to getting their news the traditional way if they ever even abandoned this way of getting news.
Those from younger generations believe something different. Instead of viewing traditional journalism, or even journalism in general is something that is dying, they see it as something that is changing to accommodate peoples lives today.
Though traditional means of journalism isn’t as popular as it used to be, it is still an industry that generates millions a year. Whether or not it is an industry that is becoming extinct all depends upon who you ask.
Journalism 2.0 