Fewer Newspaper Reporters Is Bad News for America

imagesThe American Society of News Editors released its annual newsroom census today and found an unexpected acceleration of job losses. Roughly 2,600 full-time professional editorial jobs at newspapers disappeared in 2012, a 6.4 percent decline compared to 2011′s total, leaving industry news employment at 38,000. And just so you know, that’s down one third since 2000. Yes, math fans, one third of journalists that were working in 2000 are not there today. Take a minute for that to sink in. chaussure nike pour homme There are many reasons for the decline. nike requin noir or Changing news habits, the recession, financial stability of the medium in general, but as a working PR professional I see it as nothing but bad news for this country. I went to J-School at Mizzou and it was beat into my head that journalism is important to America. adidas zx flux amazon It is supposed to balance power between government, business, special interests, etc and be that “watchdog” to make sure these entities color inside of the lines. chausson ugg But now that watchdog, once threatening, looming, drooling and ready to rip your face off has been reduced to a toothless old hound – a mere shadow of its former self. Fewer newspaper reporters means less news coverage any way you slice it. nike soldes More syndicated stories and less time and effort to dig into the stories in a way that serves journalism’s true purpose. But maybe that’s just what the country wants since study after study shows how we are reading less, watching more and just “snacking” on news here and there. It’s worth noting that the idea of paywalls for exclusive content could possibly reverse this disturbing trend. Following the lead of the NY Times, the OC Register here in lovely, Orange County, is paving the way with its new paywall strategy. And the OC Register is hiring more journalists not letting them go. Well, this reporter hopes to see more new faces in journalism and soon. This country needs its watchdog to be healthy, strong and ready to strike when needed.