Journalism in the U.S. is in trouble. Or more percisely the American people are in trouble when it comes to journalism or the lack there of. Earlier this month Advance Publications announced the slashing of more than 400 newspaper jobs in the state of Alabama; including the Birmingham News, Huntsville Times and the Mobile Press-Registar. The cuts also affected the New Orleans Times-Picayune.
Not only has the media group cut staff, it is planning to move from daily publications to only 3 days a week. You know, because news doesn't happen everyday.
Hey, I understand the ecomonics of all this. Newspapers are a dying breed. The majority of Americans say they now receive their news from TV, the internet or some other type of social media. It has become increasingly more difficult to make a profit in the newspaper business...and local TV and radio stations are also feeling the crunch of not only the economy but the changing media landscape.
(Newspapers do not make it's money from the sale of papers...it makes it from the sell of advertising. Fewer eyeballs reading papers, the less they can charge for an ad. One has to wonder if TV and radio will benefit from the ad overflow.)
Alabama is not an island. Newspapers have been shuttering all around the country for the last couple of decades. In fact, most major cities which had multiple newspaper outlet are down to one. Since 1984, when I came to Birmingham I have seen the Birmingham Post Herald go from the morning paper to the evening paper and then shut down completely. The Birmingham News was the evening paper and moved to the morning and now will reduce publication to only three days.
Local news will continue to be available in various outlets, such as online at al.com , but one of the primary roles of newspapers, i.e., journalism is being compromised. The role of watchdog!
This was just one of the topics of conversation I had this week with a former TV news reporter. Now working as a public relations officer, he says that with fewer reporters being responsible for covering more news beats the results will be some public issues and policies will simply fall through the cracks. In other words, they can't be in all places at once.
One of the great things about the First Amendment is the power of a free press. It allows for all media to explore and examine AND report on government and school boards and public entities that tax dollars support. The watchdog function of journalism is not just important to newspapers, it is essential for US as news consumers. When done properly, they act on our behalf.
Yes, there are still TV news station that will cover city counsel and school board meetings but good news consumers don't rely on only one form of media to get their news. AND TV is less likely to have a reporter that can devote the time to a beat. Radio news, at least in Birmingham...forget about it! With the eliminations of newspapers and reporting jobs it also eliminates the number of eyes keeping watch. This is not a good thing.
More and more the news consumer will be getting the "company line" as media outlets rely more and more on press releases and public relations propoganda. Some would argue that we have already seen the movement to fewer eyes keeping watch due to increasing number of newspapers, televison and radio stations that are owned by fewer and fewer entities.
The classic 1976 motion picture "Network" is one of the most prophetic pieces of work regarding the television news business and corporate America. You really need to watch it! It predicts reality TV nearly 40 years before it's time.
Check out this scene with Ned Beatty who plays the part of the head of a major corporation that owns a fictional televison network :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxiT30N6ti4&feature=related
The deregulation of the broadcasting industry during the Reagan years has also changed the broadcasting landscape. Before, any person or corporation was limited to owning 7 AM Radio stations, 7 FM radio stations and 7 TV stations IN THE ENTIRE COUNTRY. Now, there is no limit on ownership. Citadel Broadcasting owns five radio stations in Birmingham ALONE. As does CXR Holdings.
Major corporations such as Time-Warner, News Corp, Clear Channel and Comcast, just to mention a few have ownership in multiple newspapers, magazines, TV and Cable Networks and stations. And that is just a handful...there are more.
This month sounded yet another death knell for the newspaper industry. It also is a foreshadowing of what may be in store for what we get as news and HOW we get it. It was inevitable. We no longer live in a 24 hours news cycle. It is instant now with Facebook and Twitter and the other social media. The turnaround time on newspapers was too slow. It was old news. Although the longer wait was not necessarily a bad thing. The longer turnaround time permitted newspapers the "luxury" of fact checking before rushing to break the story (see CNN and Fox News on the recent Supreme Court ruling regarding Health Care).
To be honest, I rarely pick up a newspaper; I read the newspaper online...but those same reporters that were covering the stories were posting it online and still providing the service of journalism. With reduction of staff, even online journalism will dimished.
I do not mourn the newspaper industry per se. You adjust, you adapt or you die. I do mourn the loss of jobs and the loss of opportunity for aspiring journalists. I fear that we are taking one more step away from accountability.
Seeking the truth and telling it fully has never been more important. But the importance of holding our politicians accountable is no more critical than making sure our news media is also credible and doing it's job.
Thanks for reading!
Jeff
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