Talk of newspapers collapsing is nothing new. And heck, newspapers actually collapsing is becoming commonplace. Here in Arizona, two of our major papers, The Arizona Republic and The East Valley Tribune, have laid off hundreds of workers. The Tribune has even cut it’s coverage base and knocked down print edition days. This makes me wonder, what happens when a town is left without a paper?
In a Washington Post article by Howard Kurtz, the Miami Herald’s former editor, Tom Fiedler, said that if the Herald folds, no one will do the job the reporters who worked there did. “The difference that a good newspaper makes to the quality of life in any community is vital,” he said. “It’s like a healthy heart.”
I can’t help but agree. With bloggers and self-taught journalists coming out of the woodwork by the minute, there’s no doubt news coverage will be safe. But safe is relative. Sure, consumers will get some news, but what happens to the quality of news coverage?
While bloggers and contributers to hyper-local news sites are valuable, it’s hard to imagine anyone other than a trained journalist being the one to write investigative, in-depth stories. In many cases, bloggers have other jobs, and many lack the skills and connectuons neccesary to do that level of work. But I suppose we’ll just have to hold our breath and see what happens.
But I digress. And now, back to the plight of newspapers. Each one is scrambling to fit into the puzzle. I can’t think of a successful news Web site that hasn’t launched additions to make the public part of the news. Maybe that’s part of the solution. Make the public a part of the process, and they may not be able to watch it die.
Filed under: Digital media, digital, howard kurtz, newspapers, washington post
