A few weeks ago, I wrote an issue of Cabot Wealth Advisory about the state of the newspaper industry and it generated a lot of insightful comments from readers. I took some extra time to think about the various points that were brought up because, last weekend, I took a trip back to my alma mater, Syracuse University, for a staff reunion of my college newspaper, The Daily Orange.
The weekend was billed as a chance to reconnect with former staffers and to meet and impart wisdom to the students currently at the helm of the paper. This was accomplished in several educational sessions run by alumni that dealt with interactive Web graphics, alternate story forms and other ideas on how to translate newspaper skills to the Web and niche publications.
I enjoyed seeing my old friends and going to all of our favorite Syracuse restaurants–from Dinosaur Bar B Que to Doc’s Little Gem Diner–the weekend was primarily spent eating. I also toured the new communications building on campus, which includes a state of the art mock newsroom and has the First Amendment etched in glass on the windows.
I was surprised by how little the campus, and the newspaper, had changed, but I was most surprised by how enthusiastic the students were about journalism, especially outside the traditional newspaper model.
I expected long faces and a lot of pessimism, but instead was greeted with excitement about online media and the way it will not only help continue the tradition of journalism, but will actually improve the craft. This gave me hope that while print newspapers may be on the way out (see the recent news of the New York Times threatening to shutter the Boston Globe), I have no doubt that journalism will continue in one form or another. And that’s a very good thing, in my book (or blog).
So I’m going to back away from the doomsday scenarios and recognize that while journalism may take a different shape than we’re used to, it will be around for a long time to come.
If you want to read my previous Cabot Wealth Advisories about newspapers, go to our Web site archives. Please leave your comments here, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this subject!
I would applaud the death of the newspapers if the alternative was not so bleak.
Many ‘journalists’ do not bother to fact check stories or have some kind of patronising tone when approaching a subject they now nothing about. However, at least we knew where to sue them when their tripe got too bad….. now on the web, where any old clap trap can be typed and unleashed without reference to any sort of truth, these ‘journalists’ will be roaming free talking bullshi** in a vain attempt to herd the crowds in an make them famous (with a side order of ‘please click mt Adsense ads) without any meaningful method of comeback…..
God help us…