It’s
the best of times and the worst of times – for the news media.
It’s
the worst of times because:
·
Fake
news circulates like wild fire
·
Real
news is undermined by false claims of “fake news” and by people like Trump who
dismiss a truthful report from a traditional media outlet as “fake news.”
·
The
central media influencers – the old guard like New York Times, Today Show, NPR, Time magazine see the shrinking in
size of their editorial staff -- and in their influence.
·
New
digital media is finding it has to cut back on editorial staff because it’s not
getting the revenue to support it.
But
it’s the best of times because:
·
There
are more news media outlets than ever before.
·
There
are more ways to communicate a message than ever before.
·
There
is an increased consumption by America of information.
This
past week saw some ugly news. Glamour
produced its last print edition. The Jewish Forward, after 121 years, also was ceasing its print edition. Buzz
Feed and Huff Post both
announced cuts to their editorial staff.
These digital juggernauts were supposed to be the new business model for
news media. What happened?
While
those layoffs were being announced, the non-profit Newseum built as a testament
to honor journalism and the First Amendment, said sold its 420
million-dollar space and has to vacate in a year. It lost tens of millions of dollars on the
real estate deal --in addition to annually bleeding around fine million dollars.
Does
any form of media have a pay-off ?
On
the one hand, news organizations are valuable to those who own and run
them. They offer editorial voice to the
owner. These media outlets occupy real
estate and some trade publicly on Wall Street.
There are billions of dollars tied up in media companies. But few seem to run at a profit – and so many
can’t afford a downward turn of the economy.
Meanwhile,
to be a journalist is a dangerous occupation, especially overseas when covering
war, terrorism, and corrupt governments.
While our president shits all over a free media, we must do better.
The
news media is mostly made up of people who are not well paid. Sure there are some superstar TV
personalities and national radio hosts that earn lots of green, but most are
underpaid, overworked. With so much in
the world to cover, how can the public be assured that a trained, educated,
ethical media will properly cover it, without delay or bias? Can the public often distinguish truth from
distortion?
It is a roller coaster ride for the media, that is for sure.
It is a roller coaster ride for the media, that is for sure.
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