Journalism Shmursalism...
Journalism is not what it once used to be. The more media studies classes I have taken, the more I realize journalism won't pay the monetary expectations I had expected to receive after college.
The fact that journalism is often listed at the top of worst majors to choose from in college, doesn't help either. Anyone can be a journalist in 2014. It's like getting a job in Mcdonalds, except you don't have to apply for it, you can just do it.
The fact that journalism is often listed at the top of worst majors to choose from in college, doesn't help either. Anyone can be a journalist in 2014. It's like getting a job in Mcdonalds, except you don't have to apply for it, you can just do it.
Clay Shirky starts off Chapter 3 of his book Here Comes Everybody saying, "Our social tools remove older obstacles to public expression, and thus remove the bottlenecks that characterized mass media. The result is the mass amateurization of efforts previously reserved for media professionals." (Shirky 55) Shirky is right in his assumptions. Shirky really hit mass amateurization on the head with the race car specialization - journalism analogy. Shirky says, "A profession exists to solve a hard problem, one that requires some sort of specialization. Driving a race car requires special training --- race car drivers are professionals. Driving an ordinary car, though, doesn't require the driver to belong to a particular profession, because it's easy enough that most adults can do it with a modicum of training. " (Shirky 57)
The internet has made it extremely easy for someone to label themselves a 'journalist'. Anyone can create a blog for free. Anyone can write stories on their blog and share them on twitter and Facebook. It's a beautiful thing, but it hurts us. It hurts us journalists who went to college specifically to study journalism and make an impact in that field. Unfortunately in today's day and age, you don't have to go to school to be a journalist. I've been thinking about that over the last year. I read many hip hop blogs and the guys who run them look like I can find them selling oil and incense on broad and market street right here in Newark. I go on my favorite hip-hop website http://www.xxlmag.com/ and always see stupid typo's true journalist would not make.
My friends boyfriend is a quote unquote 'journalist.' He writes for a website called ashleyoutrageous.com.
He is the epitome of what Shirky was saying when speaking on mass amateurization. My friends boyfriend went to college to study international marketing and never even finished college. He contributes to the ashley outrageous site for free. This is our competition as traditional journalists. We must beat out uneducated people and we get compensated poorly. This lowers the quality of journalist/journalism as a whole.
He is the epitome of what Shirky was saying when speaking on mass amateurization. My friends boyfriend went to college to study international marketing and never even finished college. He contributes to the ashley outrageous site for free. This is our competition as traditional journalists. We must beat out uneducated people and we get compensated poorly. This lowers the quality of journalist/journalism as a whole.
Henry Jenkins in Why Heather Can Write, brings up an interesting circumstance. Kids teaching kids might not be the smartest choice for the development of their education. They may learn some things that are wrong. I like it though for the simple fact that kids are engaged in learning. I know it's because the Harry Potter series is an interesting topic for many kids. We need to start teaching from books that engage kids. Jenkins says, "Even the most progressive schools set limits on what students can write compared to the freedom they enjoy on their own."(Jenkins 193) This inhibits a child's learning. We've all read boring books throughout our education. there are millions of books, why aren't we reading the ones that stimulate us?
The need for school is hurt in this aspect. The site is allowing kids free English education online. It lowers the prestige of education as a whole. This hurts English tutors especially. In why heather can write, kids are teaching each other what grade school English teachers are attempting to teach kids.
At the end of the day, I am for it. I look at it like this, a lot of musicians we love NEVER went to school for music. Some great writers never went to college. Some famous actors never took acting classes. It doesn't allow the system to mold your creativity and I am all for that.
At the end of the day, I feel like true journalism is an afterthought after reading these articles. It's happening around us. Papers aren't selling anymore. Yes, newspapers have tried to digital, but there are so many online 'news' sources, the competition is killing true journalists. Paywalls aren't generating the loss of advertising dollars either.
I think all major news sources will falter in time. Many have, and many are continuing to do so. We will still have journalists, but writing news stories won't be their primary source of income. It will only be a side job, a hobby. I feel this is the future of journalism.
I think all major news sources will falter in time. Many have, and many are continuing to do so. We will still have journalists, but writing news stories won't be their primary source of income. It will only be a side job, a hobby. I feel this is the future of journalism.
1. Jenkins, Henry. "Why Heather Can Write." Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide. New York: New York University Press, 2008. Print.
2. Shirky, Clay. “Everyone Is a Media Outlet.” Here Comes Everybody: the Power of Organizing without Organizations. New York: Penguin, 2008. Print.
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