PressEthic

We all know that journalism is going through a tough transitional phase right now. NYU professors have been talking about it since orientation, causing many of us to second guess our decision to study journalism. We shake our heads and wonder – what exactly will we be left with at the end of three semesters? Debt, for sure. . . a job, a future, a career? No one knows.

While reading this Wall Street Journal article by Joseph T. Hallinan, Los Angeles Paper Bets on Softer News, Shorter Stories, I was struck by the realization that people are still reading, people still need news. They just want it in a user-friendly package. Hallinan reports that the Los Angeles Times is making several changes in an attempt to raise circulation, which has dropped to “908,000 -- a little less than it was in 1968, even as population in Southern California mushroomed.” They will integrate online and print articles, offer weekend-only subscriptions, have more Hollywood coverage, keep stories shorter, and emphasize more local news. Oh, and they’ll probably also cut the already depleted number of staff members.

As students, this is the world of journalism that we will be entering. All we can do is learn and adapt. News reporting is a business, reporters write for an audience, and capitalistic principals of supply and demand will always prevail. There’s no use dragging our feet and shaking our heads. If the public wants “soft news,” the public will get “soft news.” If people have shorter attention spans, the people will get shorter stories. If the Number 4 paper in the United States succeeds in boosting circulation by changing it’s format, other papers will follow. For journalism students, this is a case that bears watching.