Filed under: Ways To "Save" Journalism? | Tags: doom-and-gloom, New Jersey, New York Observer, New York Times, newspapers, NJ, NYT, print, Star-Ledger
An article in the New York Observer described the turmoil in the newsrooms of the once-great New Jersey Star-Ledger. Aptly titled, “In New Jersey, Papers Bleed but Survive,” the story is full of the usual doom-and-gloom of staff cuts, closed bureaus and poor coverage.
There’s a sort of mutualism between young whippersnappers trying to break into the field and flailing newspapers. Newspapers have a diminished budget, so they can only afford to hire less-experienced journalists who are willing to work for less than the seasoned veteran. Good for the new kids on the block looking for a job, good for the publishers who don’t have to turn the lights off just yet.
But not so great for the newspaper.
A lot of the senior people who understood the issues and who had long histories are gone,” he said. “They’ve replaced them with these younger people, and when I talk to them about environmental issues or technical issues, you see that their eyes are rolling and they just don’t understand. They’ve already got two stories to do, and then they turn a complex story into a he-said, she-said with a couple quickie quotes.”
–Jeff Tittel, Director, NJ Sierra Club
It’s apparent that multimedia skills are more important than ever, but it may not have occurred to journalism students to take a biology class or two in addition to the broadcast one. Having a concentration in politics or business in addition to the journalism major will prove useful if one eventually lands a job at National Geographic or the Wall Street Journal. But what if you’ve got to work at a fashion magazine?
In conclusion: You’ve got to be a jack-of-all-trades in order to “make it” and be of the greatest service to journalism.
