It’s no surprise that the journalism industry is in a state of upheaval. The debate over switching traditional news over to new, digital platforms has been happening since the early 2000s. Some outlets were more open to the change than others.
The debate over clicks and newsworthiness, however, still persists. I don’t think the two are mutually exclusive though. As journalists, we need to create valuable, quality content that’s clickable.
It’s easier said than done, but that’s where we find the journalistic happy medium. It’s not only gratifying to have thousands of people read, listen to, and watch a story you reported on, but it’s a market imperative to get as many people as possible to consume our “product.”
Just last year, Tribune Co. newspapers, which includes the Chicago Tribune and the Los Angeles Times, faced massive layoffs.
Although none of these layoffs were purportedly on the editorial side, it’s still alarming.
News consumers are increasingly abandoning traditional forms of media, like newspapers, and consuming their news online and on their phones. Since the internet is unlike traditional media in that there are no barriers to publishing, the competition, or market imperative, to get clicks is stronger than ever.
What that means for journalists is that we need to not only be great journalists, but we need to be digitally savvy. We have to understand how the internet works and people’s actions online. We have to pay attention to Google Analytics wherever we work. In fact, for those of us just entering the job market, we need to bring these questions up when we’re being interviewed. This isn’t just to look web-savvy and impress our interviewers, but it’s to gauge whether the job we’re interviewing for is even going to last in a few years.
If, as young journalists, we want to be employed, then we need to understand web metrics. As this Pew Research article suggests, a slew of jobs are opening up at sites that are beginning to do original reporting.
We have to understand SEO (search engine optimization) and SMO (social media optimization). We have to know how to write powerful headlines and teasers. We also have to know how to take good pictures and videos because no one wants to look at 800 words on their own.
It’s important to understand these things when faced with addictive sites like Buzzfeed and inane headlines like “You’ll never think the same about life again after watching this….”
We have to understand the game they’re playing and be better than our competitors at it. And, above all else, we have to continue to produce great content.
It’s not impossible.
It just means that people and media institutions need to start thinking outside the box and infuse a digital mindset into all of their new ventures and processes. It will be exciting to see what becomes of new companies like First Look Media, and Ezra Klein’s Vox Media venture because if they’re smart, they’ll be creating a digital presence that no one else has.
It will also be exciting to see how older institutions like Yahoo! will change as they make significant changes such as the hiring of traditional broadcaster Katie Couric and the launch of their new iPhone news app.
Journalism schools need to adapt as well. As this Poynter article states, "Time is not on the side of the established institutions during periods of innovation. Time and momentum are on the side of the disruptor." J-schools need to start learning how to disrupt.
It’s been said that when one door closes, another opens.
I think this is what’s happening in journalism.
If journalists can break through traditional modes of thought, and create innovative practices to deliver the news, then I think the industry will be just fine.