The tolling of the bell on the age of
traditional journalism will this week ring louder in the minds of many.
Newsweek, the media institution that once held an enviable position in the
lives of millions of Americans, has announced it is to cease publication at the
end of the year. Rather than slip quietly away however, it is instead to
reincarnate itself as an all-digital publication in early 2013. To some this
represents an unthinkable treason.
Since 2001 Newsweek has seen its paid
circulation fall by over 50 percent to a meagre 1.5 million readers in June of
this year. Its fall is undeniably and intrinsically linked to the rise of
digital media in the last decade. Simply put, it has failed to maintain its
relevance to the modern news consumer.
Tina Brown, founder of The Daily Beast
website (with which Newsweek merged in 2010), pinned the magazine’s demise on
the “enormous disruptive innovation” of the media industry, stating that “no
one single person can reverse that trend.”
The question is should this development
worry those of us that care about quality, accurate and insightful journalism?
Are we now moving towards a free-for-all type of environment where the decaying
of old journalistic values is unavoidable, and the consequences unpalatable?
While those who harbour fears over the
evolution of journalism fret with the best of intentions, they’re beliefs are
perhaps somewhat misplaced. For every moronic tweet that makes one doubt the
value of technological advancement there exists a counterbalance of good; a
link to a well-written opinion piece for example, or a breaking news story that
traditional media will not disperse until the turn of the hour.
Social media and digital news sites are not
bound by the constraints of the clock. They tap into one of the very core
essences of news; briskness of reporting, and in doing so put the consumer at
the heart of news like never before. If this ability to process and produce
news in real-time is prudently harnessed within the constraints of accuracy why
should we not embrace it?
Poor journalism has always existed, slipped
through the cracks and been hoisted on undeserving readers. The new world of
digital media is no different. What we should not forget though is that an
abundance of fine journalists also ply their trade for these new sites. After
all, the audience hasn't gone away they've simply altered how they access news.
Storyful, the Irish online news gathering
platform, is an example of the regeneration of the industry. Where Newsweek has
fallen by the wayside since the advent of the Internet era, sites such as
Storyful have found a niche and gained a strong footing in the industry,
providing trustworthy content to broadcast, print, web and digital platforms.
As Markham Nolan, Managing Editor of Storyful,
recently explained; old values inform new practices: “It is old school
journalism, it’s the same values, it’s the same principles in terms of vetting
who the people are, who the sources are and the information that they’re
[providing]. You just have to apply it with new tools and in a new
environment.”
The
traditional newspaper may have waned in popularity, but is yet to be consumed
by the new media as some would have you believe. After all, the co-habitation
of old and new isn't such an absurd notion. In fact it might just be that a
broader choice of news services will appeal to a wider audience and result in a
more engaged and informed society. If the print media has to increasingly
content itself with being the weekend choice of consumers- a phenomenon known as
the ‘leanback’ experience where readers have the time to absorb and enjoy their
content- then so be it. The two platforms need not be mutually exclusive.
To some people the cocksure pretender new
media will never be anything but a subversive power. To others however, it is a
cause to rejoice over. The exchange of views and informed debate that is the
lifeblood of journalism courses through the industry at its very foundations
like never before.
