The future of journalism still promising
A little innovation and optimism are all the industry needs
Clarion Editorial Board
Issue date: 2/24/10 Section: Opinion
As advancements in technology and free online subscriptions threaten the future of the journalism business model, it falls upon the journalists of today and their eager students to face the greatest challenges to journalists in decades, but also to seize the most inspiring opportunities in the history of journalism.
While it is true that in the modern technological world newspapers are struggling to stay afloat, it is also true that any business that is unwilling or unable to adapt to its changing environment is destined to fail.
Cassettes were replaced by CDs that were replaced by digital music. Video cassettes were replaced by DVDs and the film in the projection booth is rapidly being replaced by digital hard drives, but Sony Records is still producing music, Disney is still making children laugh and Universal is still contending for Academy Awards.
There is, to say the very least, a lesson to be learned here. Technology only changes the venues of publication and communication, it does not stop them. There will always be a loud demand for quality journalism, because without it our democratic society cannot fully function. What there may not always be are paper-in-hand consumers. This does not mean that there will be no paying consumers.
In the music industry's not-so-distant memory, free digital download sites such as Napster endangered their business model. Industry leaders understood that what consumers can get for free they certainly will not pay for. The music industry's reaction to these threats was profound and necessary.
What makes matters worse for the news industry is that they are endangering themselves by offering free online subscriptions. What is being offered on the screen is equally valuable and more accessible than what is in the news stand. Therefore, there is no shame or greed in charging a fair price for full online access.
Both the challenges and opportunities journalists face today merely require a little adaptability, a little innovation. For every door modern technology closes for journalists, it opens a thousand windows.
While it is true that in the modern technological world newspapers are struggling to stay afloat, it is also true that any business that is unwilling or unable to adapt to its changing environment is destined to fail.
Cassettes were replaced by CDs that were replaced by digital music. Video cassettes were replaced by DVDs and the film in the projection booth is rapidly being replaced by digital hard drives, but Sony Records is still producing music, Disney is still making children laugh and Universal is still contending for Academy Awards.
There is, to say the very least, a lesson to be learned here. Technology only changes the venues of publication and communication, it does not stop them. There will always be a loud demand for quality journalism, because without it our democratic society cannot fully function. What there may not always be are paper-in-hand consumers. This does not mean that there will be no paying consumers.
In the music industry's not-so-distant memory, free digital download sites such as Napster endangered their business model. Industry leaders understood that what consumers can get for free they certainly will not pay for. The music industry's reaction to these threats was profound and necessary.
What makes matters worse for the news industry is that they are endangering themselves by offering free online subscriptions. What is being offered on the screen is equally valuable and more accessible than what is in the news stand. Therefore, there is no shame or greed in charging a fair price for full online access.
Both the challenges and opportunities journalists face today merely require a little adaptability, a little innovation. For every door modern technology closes for journalists, it opens a thousand windows.
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