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journalism world not slipping down
slopes
Samantha Monk
If you listen to the standard Brandeis journalism professor, young people today
are uninformed, apathetic and totally uninterested in the world around us. Their
proof? Print newspaper readership is on the decline.
OK, I admit it: I’m part of that terrible statistic that says 74 percent
of Americans ages 18 to 34 don’t read newspapers regularly. In fact, I
don’t think I’ve ever physically bought a copy of a newspaper. And
yet I want to be a journalist.
What does this mean for the future of newspapers? Will the structure of American
journalism crumble under the high-paced pressures of the virtual world?
Will this new generation’s need for speed leave thoughtful analysis lagging
breathlessly behind? Journalism professors seem to think so, but as ominous as
the statistics may appear, the outlook for American journalism isn’t so
bad.
Some basic logic from Economics 101 suggests we needn’t worry — American
journalism is not in peril, unless our generation wants it to be. It all comes
down to supply and demand. Newspaper editors are beginning to realize that the
onus lies on them to understand what readers want.
Although the disenchanted may point to sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll,
along with flashy pictures and big writing as the only way to attract their so-called “light” readership,
research suggests otherwise.
According to a recent study by veteran journalist Robin Seymour of the Milwaukee
Journal Sentinel, the top items of interest for younger readers were health and
fitness, investigative reports on important issues, the environment, natural
disasters/accidents and education. Young people actually do care about things
that matter.
Brandeis University is great example: the Student Activities Department recently
stopped providing free newspapers because it thought students weren’t reading
them. After considerable outcry from the student body, the Brandeis bookstore
now sells major papers.
According to staff there, they sell out within hours. Although there is something
pleasing about holding a paper copy of the news, couldn’t all the functions
of newspapers be achieved online, with more sophisticated technology?
There has perhaps never been a more perfect supply-and-demand-driven marketplace
than the Internet. Just as buyers on eBay assign a value to each product up for
sale, readers rate news articles constantly by the number of times they visit
each page. As rating systems improve, the creators of sites will know precisely
the combination of articles, pictures, sound bites and videos that will attract
the most viewers.
The question is, what will America demand? When faced with so many choices, will
Americans flock to tabloid-like sites for entertainment, or will they insist
on journalistic excellence? If a high quality of news coverage is fundamental
to American society — if the demand for truth and accuracy is great enough — supply
will inevitably follow. For better or for worse, the journalism of the upcoming
century, fueled by the power of the Internet, should give Americans exactly what
they want.
This article originally ran in The Justice at Brandeis University.
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