First watch…
http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/224067/april-08-2009/phil-bronstein
All joking aside, the interview brings up some valid points. The death of the newspaper industry could also include the death of democracy as well. It is through journalism and newspapers that citizens get information about world news and politics which fuel the democratic process.
But wait…that may have been the case fifty years ago, but in today’s world things have changed. Is the death of the newspaper industry really the death of democracy? I don’t think so. If anything, the availably of free news via the internet has facilitated democracy. Anyone with access to a computer can instantly receive breaking news and engage with others through chat rooms, blogs, and comment walls. Discussions and arguments are built through the internet causing people to consider other beliefs and challenge others.
Phil Bronstein is almost nostalgic about old journalism days. Days where journalists uncovered controversy and scandals and allowed democracy to flourish through their work. He blames Google and other internet companies for stealing original journalism and allowing the public free access to the news which is apparently killing the newspapers. While this may be a factor in newspaper’s dwindling circulation, charging the public for news will only hurt democracy.
The solution is not to force people back to the way things were, but to move forward. Colbert is correct in saying that there is a solution in all of this—a window for newspapers to capitalize on. Times are changing, and they’re changing for the better. Newspapers need to get on board and learn to adapt.
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Everyone says, "breaking news" is all on the Web, but most of it is on the Web sites of newspapers. And there's not a newspaper out there that has found a way to make a profit on a web site. Certainly not one that allows it to continue to operate at anywhere near the capacity that they do now. People keep saying information should be free, I would never pay for anything on the web. And the information is mostly free, but it would never be presented in the way that newspapers do...
ReplyDeleteYes, you can go down to city hall to find out who filed papers to run for mayor,or filed grievances but who's going to do that? No one. Or almost no one. However it's something everyone reads in a newspaper... or should read, anyway.
If newspapers (and other news organizations i.e. tv and radio stations -- don't even come close to being able to cover the amount of stuff in the depth that newspapers can, so I'm just talking about newspapers here) go under completely, the watchdog function of the media goes away. And that scares me. A lot. That being said, there will always be a need for news. It's just a matter of how it will be presented.
The decline of newspapers is like the music trend that each generation has encountered. It started out that you could only hear music live, then vinyl records, then cassette tapes, CDs and now ... mp3s. Who knows what will be next. But there will always be music... therefore there will always be news and a need for news.
So the real question(s) in my opinion that should be addressed are as follows:
How will news be delivered? Will someone be able to earn a living at reporting the news or will it be a community activist role? Will people have to pay for news web sites (think like iTunes -- you get a preview, then click a button to pay 10 cents to see the whole story)?