My take on Week 3 readings

HARTLAND TOWNSHIP, Mich. — I can’t say it any plainer than we’re witnessing journalism being completely reinvented and no one sure is how the story will turn out. This week’s reading just continues to reinforce that.

These chapters detail how the Internet has transformed the news business forever in print and broadcast. Some is new to me. I never heard of a Fisher Grid (developed by the authors), although it makes sense to these evolving situations. From a reality standpoint, however, in a newsroom, I can tell you, figuring out what’s best for print vs. the Web just happens. No one typically diagrams it. There isn't time.
I also wasn't as familiar with changes by Gannett and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution detailed in the text. They were precursors to what happened here in Michigan over the past year to the Detroit papers (the Freep and The Detroit News) and my former company, Advance (Which everyone addressed in their essays).

I wonder what the future news organization be? Will it be a behemoth organization that produces a newspaper, broadcasts over the airwaves and online? The authors, in detailing the Acme Widget Strike, seem to suggest for us to expect the larger one. While that may prove the reality in the country’s largest markets, I don't think that’s what'll happen in most places, especially without a business model to support that kind of staff. It seems that many news organizations, especially here in Michigan, are slimming down while they retool for the Web. That means the bulk of the resources will remain focused on news gathering, in my opinion, at least until the business model evolves to support a larger staff. And the economic realities mean for cities, such as Flint, might not support as large news gathering operations as it once did. That of course means digital journalists need to have a host of skills to be ready for today and the future.

The focus on television in chapters 5 and 6 also is important for all of us to consider because television stations have been struggling through cutbacks fueled by the poor economy and the Internet. Again, the authors point out tons of new opportunities, especially geared toward the advantages of TV, but I only wonder is who will do it? If companies can get the public to provide the content for free through creating social networks based around geographical locations, that's what we'll see. That's a double-edged sword, I think. On one hand you have great new resources to add to any story, but who will feret out the biases and provide new insights? That's the value of a professional journalist — putting the news into context. That need won't go away because in our society, people will never have enough time to be able to sort everything out themselves.

If the marketplace can't afford that demand or figure out how to meet it, we should all be really, really worried about our democracy.