Is journalism getting worse?
Posted by Vanora Spreen
“Is Journalism getting worse? Or does it just seem that way?”
Lorrie Goldstein, Senior Editor Toronto Sun, reflected on a number of changes in the news reporting industry that have impacted the quality and quantity of the news we receive on a daily basis. The number of newspapers has multiplied, the 6:00 pm news is now available 24/7 either from dedicated television news stations or the internet.
It used to be that the size of the newspaper controlled what was delivered to the consumer. The typesetter would fit the news to the page space available. However, the internet is now a large decider in what we are exposed to. Now anyone with a smart phone can be a reporter, instantly delivering photos and stories from around the globe.
Far from writing columns for a newspaper, today journalists are better trained, expected to comment on radio and television, post online stories as well as print, edit video clips and update story details on an ongoing basis, covering stories on a real time basis.
This all adds up to having to “feed the beast”, with celebrity gossip (today an industry on its own!), highly scrutinized public figures (fewer topics are taboo!) and questionable conduct from certain journalists to “create” stories. We have to ask ourselves if we could stand up to the current public scrutiny that our public figures endure.
Lorrie Goldstein, Senior Editor Toronto Sun, reflected on a number of changes in the news reporting industry that have impacted the quality and quantity of the news we receive on a daily basis. The number of newspapers has multiplied, the 6:00 pm news is now available 24/7 either from dedicated television news stations or the internet.It used to be that the size of the newspaper controlled what was delivered to the consumer. The typesetter would fit the news to the page space available. However, the internet is now a large decider in what we are exposed to. Now anyone with a smart phone can be a reporter, instantly delivering photos and stories from around the globe.
Far from writing columns for a newspaper, today journalists are better trained, expected to comment on radio and television, post online stories as well as print, edit video clips and update story details on an ongoing basis, covering stories on a real time basis.
This all adds up to having to “feed the beast”, with celebrity gossip (today an industry on its own!), highly scrutinized public figures (fewer topics are taboo!) and questionable conduct from certain journalists to “create” stories. We have to ask ourselves if we could stand up to the current public scrutiny that our public figures endure.