Death of Print = Rebirth of Journalism?

For those of us working in the trenches of the journalism world, it’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day frenzy of just doing our jobs. But the bad economic climate—and troubles in our industry—is bringing philosophical question about journalism to the forefront.

For example, The Atlantic ran an intriguing article http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200901/new-york-times asking, What if the New York Times ceased print publication? What would that mean for journalism?

Author Michael Hirschorn takes an optimistic view, asserting that rather than killing “real” journalism, the death of print could actually help it. “Over the long run, a world in which journalism is no longer weighed down by the need to fold an omnibus news product into a larger lifestyle-tastic package might turn out to be one in which actual reportage could make the case for why it matters, and why it might even be worth paying for.”

Of course, that’s contingent on media companies finding a profitable online profitable business model (so they can employ qualified, skilled journalists), and that hasn’t happened yet. But it’s an interesting idea to ponder.

—Allison Stacy, Publisher/Editorial Director, Family Tree Magazine