The art of reading a newspaper is coming to a close. With the introduction of online journalism, it is hard to escape the demise of print media. In fact, many argue that the rise of online journalism will lead to a loss of jobs. According to Rick Edmonds this is exactly what is happening:
With the Decline of Newspapers and the Rise in Online Journalism, the Issue of Jobs and News Quality has become a Major Concern…
Image courtesy of http://www.timeslive.co.za/local/2013/04/06/newspaper-group-set-to-be-sold-to-locals
Although journalism jobs within print are reducing in number, journalists such as David Plotz argue “that maybe it’s not that bad,” maybe they “are actually creating a golden age for journalism.”
There is much debate to whether or not this “golden age” is allowing qualified journalists to acquire a paid primary job within the field of online journalism. According to Michaelle Bond after posting a somewhat small questionnaire regarding “the fate of those who have lost their newspaper jobs…it’s safe to say there is life after newspapers. But it’s not always the life the journalists had expected.”
But even if the majority of print media jobs can be replaced, what is the impact upon the quality of news articles? Many argue that with the demise of newspapers, the professional expertise that come with acquiring original reporting will decrease. “The kind of work that involves getting out from behind a computer and hitting the streets to interview real people,” that is often re-used and aggregated by online journalists will also not be as available, which could lead to a limited amount of information for online journalists to work with according to Tony Rogers.
Without traditional forms of print journalism, this concern of ‘citizen’ journalists equipped with little or even no qualifications becoming a major news source is growing significantly. It seems the only way to allow journalism to grow and utilise the benefits of online news-telling is for major news companies to attempt to juggle a balance between both print and online mediums to allow professional expertise to be used, allowing both jobs and the quality of the news to be maintained.
Journalism Today 