The Fate of Journalism

I will agree with Shirky that sometimes, the people within the declining institution are the last folks to realize that they themselves are quickly becoming obsolete. However, in this day and age, it's almost impossible to go anywhere and not see the impact that the Internet holds on our everyday life. This is where I begin disagreeing with Shirky, because I don't see the professional journalist's role as becoming diminished. Rather, it is simply one that requires a major adjustment-- and I must stress the word requires, because the journalist cannot opt to go digital at this point, or they will be irrelevant to the world around them much sooner rather than later. He does say that "quality will prevail" in his Q&A session with the Columbia Journalism Review, but I don't think it will take nearly as long as he believes. Businesses adapt, and while the newspaper institution itself is failing, the journalist's skill sets will still be a valuable asset, and (suck up points please) smarter journalists like Colin are not only aware of common trends, but actively study and discuss them.

Extra credit points aside, there are people out there are already discussing what the ideal model will be as we move into the digital world. The younger, more computer savvy news community might not like the eventual loss of newspapers, but is already discussing what the next step is. Lots of journalists will lose their jobs unfortunately, but they will need to adapt, just like everyone else has, if they wish to continue in the same career path. Most departments are going to strictly wireless systems within the state of Connecticut, and though the residents might grumble, their argument that "not everyone has a computer" is soon going to be met with the same response as those who argued "I don't have digital cable" before the switch was made. At this point, it's going to be a "not our problem, get with the times" response. It's cruel, but if a journalist does not expand his or her skill sets, then their role as the everyday scribe is indeed meaningless.