In the face paced, immediate, technology driven media we see today is there still a need for quality journalism or have we seen the industry change that dramatically that quantity and immediacy are more important than quality in journalism.
Some people believe that with the continual decrease in newspaper’s and the rapid increase of online news, quality journalism is dying alongside newspapers. Martin Flanagan (2008) expressed his ideas on the need for quality journalism by stating “Newspapers can build community, while the net promotes individuality” (Flanagan, 2008).
Although the internet is having a massive impact on the journalism industry doesn’t mean that media organisations can’t continue to produce quality content, they just need to embrace technology and utilise cross media platforms to produce quality content to place where the larger audience now exist.
Quality and quantity cannot be mutually exclusive, but they can come one after another and that way both quantity and quality are available to fulfill the wants and needs of the audience.
But as Stilgherrian (2009) states “quality journalism, especially investigative journalism, is expensive. While one of its traditional Australian homes, public broadcasters ABC and SBS, seems safe for now, what about its other home, quality newspapers? Are newspapers doomed? If so, who pays for journalism then?” (Stilgherrian, 2009).
Rupert Murdoch made an attempt to solve the problem by suggesting pay walls; Murdoch stated “Quality journalism is not cheap. The digital revolution has opened many new and inexpensive distribution channels but it has not made content free” (Clark, 2009).
If online content isn’t free, then who is paying for it now? Advertisers of course, but journalists are too! A huge amount of journalists are now working more hours, across numerous media platforms, producing content on a crazy amount of stories each day, for no extra pay. They are doing this simply to keep up with the demand for instant news. As the demand for immediacy becomes stronger and stronger and the number of professional journalists in jobs lowers, it is becoming near impossible for journalists to find the extra time to produce quality content.
The following YouTube video highlights the power the internet has provided to the audience in sourcing news. We can get new when we want it, how we want it and we can choose the content we want specifically. So more and more news organisations are catering to immediacy by trying to be the first organisation to publish that content, instead of trying to be the organisation that publishes the most quality content. Immediacy is having a huge impact on quality and the ability for journalists to produce quality content.
What will the future hold for quality journalism? Some say the internet provides the opportunity for the rebirth of quality journalism, others argue that the internet is causing the disappearance of it. No matter what the future holds, I argue that quality journalism is important and we need it, so it is our jobs as journalists to continue to produce content that is our best quality.
References:
Clark, A. (2009). Rupert Murdoch plans charge for all news websites by next summer. Retrieved August 24, 2011 from http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/aug/06/rupert-murdoch-website-charges
Flanagan, M. (2008). Quality Journalism: the need only grows. Retrieved August 24, 2011 from http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/quality-journalism-the-need-only-grows-20080912-4fkk.html
Gykvideos. (2010). Pat on the Immediacy of Modern Media: [Video file]. Video posted to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGfhqrVzOiY
Stilgherrian. (2009). The future of “quality” journalism: lots of questions, few answers. Retrieved August 24, 2011 from http://www.crikey.com.au/2009/04/06/the-future-of-%E2%80%9Cquality%E2%80%9D-journalism-lots-of-questions-few-answers/
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