Roy Peter Clark, of the Poynter Institute, last week exhorted journalists - and J-school students - to read print newspapers. As the industry struggles to find a business model that will support it, Clark suggested it's a journalist's duty to read print. As you know, newspaper print circulation has been declining steadily. So has advertising revenue. Although much of the industry is now looking to online delivery as a potential savior, online only brings in between 5 and 7 percent of newspaper revenue at the moment. That is the problem, as Clark passionately noted. But his plea for reading out of a sense of duty sparked a torrent of feedback. Some compared his suggestion to asking amateur photographers to stick with film instead of going digital. One blogger suggested we'd all still be in the dark if candle-makers had reacted the same way when Edison discovered the lightbulb.
So what do you think? Is Roy Peter Clark right? Or are too many editors reluctant to move forward as the bloggers suggest. As journalists of the future, what do you think? Do you have an obligation to read print? Do you read newspapers the old-fashioned way now?
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3 comments:
It’s a sad truth, but it should come as no surprise by now that newspapers are no longer in their glory days. But does it fall to the new crop of journalists to shoulder the burden and prop up our chosen medium with our unwavering readership? I don’t think so. When I read the paper it isn’t out of a sense of obligation. Obligation denotes that I don’t enjoy what I’m doing, and that’s not exactly a fun way to picture the rest of my life. And if I never read the paper, chances are I wouldn’t make a very good newspaper journalist anyway. Clark’s intensions are good, but I think he misses the mark. Newspapers have been around for ages and they’ll never vanish as long as they’re still doing their job.
Cassie - I agree. I think forcing folks to read is not going to save newspapers. I think Clark's intentions are good, as you point out, but that's not how to attract and keep readers. Newspapers need to be interesting to do that. They also need to take advantage of technology and publish in various ways on various platforms. Readership is more important than how people are reading
Besides photographers using film, GM should build stagecoaches.
Hilfiger should offer pantaloons.
Back in the days of silent radio, these things were not an issue because society moved at a slower pace. But no more.
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