Ellington

At the outset of this summer, I had two interning possibilities before me. I could either take an Associated Press internship with a daily newspaper or I could take one here at the Jackson Free Press. Obviously I chose the latter, but it wasn't without heavy contemplation that I did. There were positive and negative aspects of both publications, and I listened to the counsel of family, professors and friends in the industry before making a decision. My family (and most of my friends) strongly advised me to take the AP internship, if not for the hefty stipend then for the practical, day-to-day experience of working in a bustling newsroom. But mostly for the cash. Despite the appeal of quick funds and a big name to pen on a resume, my journalism senses told me something was awry. This past semester I have been learning a lot about the death of the newspaper industry, and pondered just how practical it was to take an internship with a daily newspaper in today's economy. It seems like every other week there is another big name publication dying, yet the newspapers left alive aren't doing enough to change up how they provide information to their readers. Why was this?

I asked a few media professionals what they thought was the main reason daily newspapers were losing subscriptions and so many were dying as a result. Invariably they all pointed to the Internet as the harbinger of print journalism's death. Besides the ease with which one can tailor his or her news searches online, Craigslist and other networking sites were are eliminating the need for a classifieds section, which corralled a nice chunk of revenue in the halcyon days of the newspaper. In response, daily newspapers have been trying to infuse their Web sites with more and more online content, in the hope of keeping users perusing as long as possible. The real shame here is that newspapers owned by companies like Gannett and MediaNews Group have to rely on one another more strongly to keep bringing in purportedly pertinent content to their readers. For example, if you go to the Clarion-Ledger's Web site today, the three biggest headlines you will see are Steve McNair's death, ex-governor Ray Mabus' new job and Michael Jackson's mother losing control of her son's estate. The local connection of these stories to Jackson, Miss. in terms of community, impact and proximity is tenuous at best. The McNair story is actually written by staffers from The Tennessean, another Gannett newspaper, and the Michael Jackson coverage by the Associated Press (and to think I could have been assigned the Michael Jackson beat in another life). Here is where alternative weeklies have the opportunity to do their readers better. While daily newspapers rely on media corporations and international news outlets, alternative independents can afford to provide in-depth investigative pieces and supply the community with information that is specific to its constituents. But hey, as long as there are celebrities dying, there will be a market for drivel.

Previous Comments

ID

149372

Comment

cheers Byron! I look forward to conversing with you soon about changing the industry! -Lacey

Author

Lacey McLaughlin

Date

2009-07-07T15:19:46-06:00