Don't overlook Internet's value enhancing journalism

Joel Shurkin seemed to have lots of heart and soul behind his love for
the traditional newspaper and it is understandable. While working for the Philadelphia Enquirer he had the best atmosphere a journalist can ask for. A great staff full of editors and correspondents that reported from all around the world and country. This is what the newspaper lives on, great stories and wonderful people.
Newsrooms of this sort seem to be declining as we speak. Some may find the selling out of family-held newspapers to bigger companies a good thing, but from Shurkin's perspective it is just exactly what the newspaper industry does not need. When the circulation of newspapers was greater, in his view, there was an obvious reason why. It was quality.
While he did not talk about the internet too much, it really is the future of journalism.
The internet poses a great threat to the newspaper, but I believe it can be even better for the newspaper. Maybe that is why Shurkin did not talk about it much. Everybody can have access to a digital newspaper, and for foreign correspondence make it easier to report back. Internet text could be enlarged for sight affected individuals. There is also internet software that reads what the internet says to hearing impaired individuals. More people can get the news.
It seems that Shurkin wants the past to stay the same. While I believe that quality journalism should be every professional’s priority we should not be scared that the newspaper circulation might be declining. We should just be worried about quality journalism. And using the Internet's reach to broaden our world perspective.
--Tessa Borce

Internet opportunities overlooked in nostalgia?

Is Thomas Jefferson “spinning in his grave,” like Joel Shurkin argues? I walked out of his Tuesday, November 20^th lecture on at the Noel Wien Library appalled and dismayed with the state of American journalism. I’ve given his talk some time to sink in, and today, I’m not completely convinced with his argument, granted he had some good points.

Shurkin blamed the state of today’s journalism on “rampant capitalism.” He argued that Wall Street is undermining good newspapers and other news organizations, saying that by focusing on quarter profits, investors aren’t seeing the whole picture. He also blames monopolization. For example, Disney owns ABC News. Therefore, the executives at the top of the company probably aren’t as concerned with producing good news because they are largely separated from it. Reasons like these are linked to declines in journalism. Shurkin argued this by talking about permanent overseas correspondence. Africa, he says, only has one permanent American journalist stationed there. This reduces the quality of the news the public will be receiving from the region. Without good information, a good democratic system falls apart. And thus, Thomas Jefferson is spinning in his grave.

Is it quite that bad? Maybe. The part about one remaining permanent foreign correspondent in Africa is truly frightening. However, I detected a large amount of nostalgia in Shurkin’s talk. Technology advances and the infrastructure in which we receive information changes. I think that Shurkin understands this, but is unwilling to really latch onto it.

The vast amount of different ways we can get information today is astounding. Yes, perhaps the quality of newspapers and TV news isn’t quite what it used to be. But there are many different mediums to find information. The Internet has opened up doors to an incredibly vast amount of information. It’s just a matter of finding the right website. Over time, it seems like things will even out. I don’t ever think newspapers will die out, but they’ll probably get smaller and concentrate on longer stories that are harder for people to read on computer monitors.

I think that the growth of different news mediums is ultimately a good thing. However, I think more and more responsibility will be on individuals themselves rather than news organizations in finding good information. People need to seek information in several different mediums. In a sense, everybody needs to be their own journalist.

--Shawn Biessel