Do old media journalists really want to go digital sooner?
October 22, 2009 by John Proffitt · Leave a Comment
Thanks to @kegill for pointing out a new report from Northwestern University on how print journalists are feeling about the transition to digital. It suggests there’s plenty of people in the old media wishing their owners / managers would move to digital models faster.
I worked with some journalists in public radio for several years. And public media managers. And while there was plenty of lip service given to new media, the truth was no one wanted to change their methods or outputs and would, when pressed, criticize new journalism work as merely partisan blogging by people with no sense of professional journalistic ethics or objectivity. Sadly, the non-movement to digital models was happening while mass media everywhere was missing story after story while the Bush administration and Fox News led them astray.
What’s been your experience? Are most broadcast and print journalists you know troubled by slow adoption of new media reporting? Or is the resistance still overwhelming?
You can download the 4MB PDF report here.
For the last 15 years I've done what comes naturally to anyone with degrees in English, earth science and education: I taught high school for a year then worked as an IT pro in healthcare, banking, consulting and government contracting (of course!). But I also spent nearly 5 years in Alaska's largest public media company, taking the traditional radio / TV / statewide news operation online and realizing traffic gains of more than 700% in just 18 months. Now I'm the Director of Digital Engagement for KETC / The Nine Network in St. Louis, focused on real and virtual community building around issues of public importance. Learn More