Despite what nostalgia tells us, the issues with modern journalism and news distribution did not begin with the transition to digital and internet-based news. News coverage in the twentieth century underwent conglomeration, increasing bipartisanship and influence from advertisers. In fact by 1900, more than two thirds of revenue at most of the U.S.A’s eighteen thousand newspapers was from advertising1. This changed the relationship between journalists, distributors and readers as those who wanted to be informed became consumers1.
The future of journalism lies in the fundamental problem that quality reporting is expensive and in an age of access to free information, readers are unwilling to pay for it. Readers are far more likely to be complacent in the quiet collection of their data and the sneaky promotion of native advertising that is fundamental to free news publishers such as Buzzfeed.
“We are for the first time in modern history, facing the prospect of how societies would exist without reliable news”
Alan Rusbridger, Guardian Editor-in-Chief
Some have chosen to catastrophise the perceived decrease in quality news, including editor-in-chief of the Guardian Alan Rusbridger who thinks “we are for the first time in modern history, facing the prospect of how societies would exist without reliable news”, and in some ways this is true. Technology is often at the forefront of any conversation about the future of journalism and yet it has the potential to isolate anyone without a reliable connection2.
Truthfully, the future of journalism lives in the adaptability of the modern medium, the internet. Journalists must learn to utilise all forms of media in order to keep future audiences engaged2.
- Lepore, J. Does Journalism Have A Future? The New Yorker. 2019 https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/01/28/does-journalism-have-a-future
- Wyde, R. What is the future of journalism? The Guardian. 2015 https://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/apr/15/what-is-the-future-of-journalism
Celeste's Blog 