Journalism at UMD

With the sudden upheaval in personal, political and news blogs, and an increased demand for easily accessible online newspapers, print journalists are struggling to come up with a more media- and consumer-friendly way of reporting that not only delivers the news, but appeals to the people of a faster-paced world.

A 2005 Gallop Poll survey in which people were asked if they used the Internet for news showed that “checking online for news and weather is done regularly by 72 percent of Web users,�? and this number has only increased over the years.

The drop in newspaper readership has created some fear within the newspaper journalism community, where an increase in blogs and online newspaper could mean a decrease of jobs in the print journalism field. Many journalists are concerned that readers will no longer want to buy newspapers.

According to an article by Lisa Snedeker of Media Life, as of May 2008, newspapers in the past six months have dropped 3.6 percent for weekdays and 4.6 for Sunday editions.

With a dramatic decline in newspaper sales, many newspapers are trying to make the shift to online journalism while keeping up with the bloggers by creating their own news blogs where stories are posted and readers are encouraged to comment.

Many journalists, like Emily Gurnon, a reporter for the St. Paul Pioneer Press have had to come up with solutions to appeal to a fading crowd. According to her, blogs have made more traditional journalists be more resourceful in how they report and appeal to today’s reader.

“Blogs have forced us to be more creative,�? Gurnon said. “They aren’t always dependable, but they can show us how to look at things in a different way.�?

The St. Paul Pioneer Press, like many other newspapers around the world, are trying to make their paper more versatile by creating their own blogs specifically for the newspaper by posting articles online and allowing feedback from the readers. Gurnon thinks these comments at the end of stories have both their ups and their downs.

“They are useful because people always ask questions or ask us to clarify something about a story. It’s good feedback,�? she said.

However, as with any kind of anonymous posting, there are many ethical problems with these comments because sometimes vulgar, bigoted, racist or inappropriate comments are often synonymous with any kind of comment system online.

“We do have to screen them if there gets to be a problem, we don’t want to be held accountable for those comments,�? she said.

While blogs may be responsible for a certain lack of interest in traditional media, Tom West of the Morrison County Record, doesn’t think newspapers are really affected by individual blogs.

He believes that these personal, individual blogs are a good way for people to respond to mass media, which in turn holds these bigger news conglomerates more accountable.

The Morrison County Record also posts articles online, but West says it’s still not the same as print.

“Print media is great in smaller communities,�? West said. “We’re not doing as well as we were two years ago, but we aren’t going out of business.�?

According to West, newspaper reporting, especially in smaller communities, such as Morrison County, provides the public with the only independent party in the newsgathering group, in comparison with radio or television reporters.

West thinks that this new “blogosphere�? way of getting news may be beneficial for some because there is no longer the role of the gatekeepers that used to control what was written in a newspaper. This role of the gatekeeper in journalism has always made some readers uneasy and had many questioning whether traditional reporting and writing is accurate and unbiased.

According to a 2007 Gallop poll when asked “do you, personally, have any concerns about the accuracy of reports made by traditional journalists, or not?�? 61 percent said they did have concerns.

Gurnon talked about how any kind of journalism always has its fair share of problems. “We get accused of biases on both sides, but most reporters are sometimes more progressive then the average person,�? she said.

Should blogs be counted as journalism? As of now, this question is open for debate. Some bloggers don’t go out and do their own reporting, yet many people turn to blogs for news, so this raises some concerns.

An article by Kelly Wilson of the American Journalism Review titled, “High anxiety: a new survey shows journalists are very anxious about their futures as they struggle to learn new technology and worry about how long their jobs will be there,�? also talks about surveys that were conducted that pertained to what journalist feel about blogging and tackled that very question.

“The answers showed a mix of opinion about whether blogs should be counted as journalism. About 62 percent said they believe their audience wants a professional brand of news from trained journalists. But many doubted whether there would be jobs to support that brand. More print journalists — about 43 percent — said they do not feel confident that they will be working for a newspaper in five years, and about 30 percent were neutral on the question.�?

This also raises the issue of funding for online newspapers. If there is a decline in actual print newspapers, how are newspapers that have made the shift to online publications supposed to keep their newspaper up and running?

As West points out, one of the biggest issues facing smaller newspapers today is revenue. He says that there is some concern as to where funding would come from if advertisers chose to pull support.

Some blogs are having no problems with funding because some owners of weblogs are able to raise money from loyal fans, which has appropriately been nicknamed “blograising.�? This is beneficial for bloggers because loyal fans can pitch in a few bucks here and there and their favorite blogs will remain active.

With this lack of advertising for print journalism, comes the inevitable layoffs that all companies must face. Because more people now get their news from either blogs or online newspapers, newspapers can’t afford to keep as many journalists as they would like.

In the past few years, many newspapers around the Twin Cities have had to lay off journalists, which creates more work for the remaining journalists. Emily Gurnon talks about how frustrating it can be to cover more stories with less time.

“It’s been tough for us having to do a lot more with fewer people,�? she said. “ If I had more time, I would like to look at more aspects of the story.�?

Is there to do to keep print journalism an active force and is there a way to make blogs more accurate? What is a good way to draw people back to newspapers? Many of these questions continue to remain unanswerable.

For now, reporters like Gurnon still find newspaper journalism to be the most rewarding.

“Newspapers cover things in so much more depth and detail. NPR can do longer stories, but television reporters can’t say a lot when they have to get it on tape.�?

Blogs will continue to be a dominant form of information and opinion, but many still lack any real sources or real reporting. For now, newspapers will continue to try and compete with blogs in hopes that print journalism will once again be a dominant source of news.