Recently, I met with a group of young people at the early stages of their careers in journalism. They are interns at a company where I used to work.
They were bright, thoughtful and inquisitive. Talking with them took me back over 50 years ago when I was like them, i.e., just starting out.
Now perhaps more than ever, we need people like them. In an opinion piece in the Washington Post, Perry Bacon, Jr. writes that “Journalism may never again make money. So it should focus on mission.”
Bacon recites the most recent round of layoffs in media companies, including his own:
“And it’s now clear billionaires aren’t a panacea for the news industry. The Post’s owner, Jeff Bezos, and other super-wealthy individuals who have purchased news outlets haven’t been as successful making money in journalism as in their other businesses and have cut staff to minimize their losses.”
In Bacon’s view, journalism organizations have to focus on their public service missions as opposed to making money, because they can’t make money in any event.
He’s right, of course. The First Amendment guarantees freedom of the press, but not the right to make a profit in the process.
But in order to exercise their press rights, reporters and editors need to be able to make a living. That is at the heart of the crisis in journalism — it is a very difficult way to do so.
And it always has been. My own career is a cautionary tale. I had over 20 different employers in 50 years, despite spending 12 years at one place — the Center for Investigative Reporting.
I often held two or three jobs at the same time; it was a terrific struggle to support my family and raise the kids. So if I were just starting out, would I do it all over the same way again?
You can bet I would. There’s no better field than journalism for people like us.
HEADLINES:
3 U.S. troops killed in drone attack in Jordan (NBC)
Houthi Attacks Disrupt Shipping, Draw U.S. Into Direct Conflict (WSJ)
CIA Director William Burns holds Hamas hostage talks with Mossad chief, Qatari prime minister (CBS)
Where Is Hamas Getting Its Weapons? Increasingly, From Israel. (NYT)
Nikki Haley taunts Trump and he takes the bait. Will she keep it up? (WP)
Top border negotiators stump for their deal ahead of possible vote next week (Politico)
Republicans unveil impeachment articles against head of homeland security (Guardian)
25 Republican governors back Texas in escalating border standoff with US government (BBC)
Johnson throws cold water on border deal (Politico)
Russia projects confidence as it pursues alliances to undermine the West (WP)
Nearly 25,000 tech workers were laid off in the first weeks of 2024. Why is that? (NPR)
Falling inflation, rising growth give U.S. the world’s best recovery (WP)
Ukraine says it uncovers mass fraud in weapons procurement (Reuters)
‘S.N.L.’ Wonders What Men Will Do After Football Season Ends (NYT)
New Theory Suggests Chatbots Can Understand Text (Quanta)
How MLMs are poisoning the media (Axios)
New open source AI coding tool surpasses its inspiration: Google DeepMind’s AlphaCode (Venture Beat)
The Cult of AI (Rolling Stone)
Supportive Parents Encourage Child’s Interests In Anything Within 15-Minute Drive (The Onion)
No comments:
Post a Comment