Orono, ME- Guests ranging from young college students in jeans and T’s to distinguished professors in their finest attire intermingled and chattered in anticipation of the lecture to come. This short-lived moment was proof that there is viability in two separate generations, each with their own culture, values, and norms coming together on common ground to engage in a shared interest. As mentioned, however, this melding of two groups was all too short lived.
After an impressive introduction, a meek middle-aged woman with salt and pepper hair stepped up to the podium. Bettina Boxall of LA times is a well known eco-journalist, and a UMaine alumna, who recently won the Pulitzer Prize in explanatory reporting.
Although known for her progressive views, and great contributions to the development of journalism, Boxall spoke against the forward direction in which communications and journalism is moving today.
Boxall is a self proclaimed “old fart” who gets her news solely from newspapers, writes on a manual typewriter, refuses to watch T.V. and is considerably unacquainted with computers and the internet.
Boxall’s concerns for the future of journalism root in decline in newspaper readership: “Readership affects advertising. If circulation decreases, companies have less desire to buy advertising space, which causes newspaper revenues to significantly drop,” Boxall explained to the intent audience.
This concept is intuitive and doesn’t require much evidence to convince someone of its actuality, but is it a legitimate base for concern? It is evident that newspapers are becoming less popular at the hands of the internet; daily newspaper readership is decreasing (with a current estimation at 74,000 customers) and the unique audience of newspaper web sites are ever-growing at a current 76 million individual readers.
With the introduction of online news, information is more easily distributed at a lower cost, and to a broader audience; so what’s the issue with this transition from hard copy newspapers? According to Boxall, it’s the difference in journalistic integrity and quality: “[Online information sources] are like snack food: they’re addictive, but not very nourishing.”
Boxall is worried that the end of newspapers will be the end of probing and explanatory journalism, something she takes very personally as this quality is what earned her the Pulitzer Prize in 2009. Under the impression that online news sources are generally used to gather quick information on ecologically, socially, and economically insignificant topics, Boxall reflects on her passion for printed papers: “ I dearly love newspapers. They’re important to a democracy, and important to give more than just quick hits and short stories.”
Boxall may have a point; perhaps many readers of online sources aren’t benefiting from the long and intricate stories printed upon the pages of hard-copy, fresh-from-the-press newspapers; perhaps online readers search for specific topics, missing out on the smaller, yet more controversial stories they wouldn’t happen to read unless it caught their eye while flipping through the paper; but perhaps it is Boxall who is misinformed.
As far as online news coverage being “the end of good journalism,” it seems Boxall’s admittance of internet unfamiliarity may be the basis of this concern. Boxall’s fear is that with the gradual decline of newspaper readership, people will become more dependent on websites such as twitter to stay (somewhat) up to date with current affairs. What Boxall may not realize is those websites are used to grab readers’ attention, and lure them in to reading in depth articles. These websites can act as aids for online readership.
Much like print news, the more people visit online news sources, the more money advertisers are willing to pay to buy a spot on the website. This, in turn, raises revenue. It is becoming more necessary for online journalists to produce riveting and controversial stories in order to maintain a large audience, and therefore maintain a sustainable revenue. The falling demand for newspapers does not equate a falling demand for “good journalism” as Boxall implied. Those who desire accurate, informative, and explanatory journalism will find no shortage on the internet.
Towards the end of the lecture, the unity of the audience had been substantially divided. Questions from the younger generations showed passion towards embracing current technology, while older generations showed their discontent with the new direction of journalism. This split was demonstrated when Boxall responded to a student’s whimsical question regarding her thoughts on modern twists of news such as the John Daily Show: “I think it’s fine as entertainment, but it shouldn’t be used as a source of news... but I suppose for your generation, though, something is better than nothing.” The older generation responded with a pompous snicker, while the younger generation was left with a look of disparagement, as many in the audience took pride in their passion for “good journalism.”
The tone left at the closing of the lecture was one mirrored by the current conflict in the news sector. Should information such as the news be owned, or should it be in the public domain for all to benefit from regardless of financial ability? Is the future of online journalism one of light, and unimportant topics, or will it provide quality information and education to a broader audience? Will the revenue from add space be enough to sustain a dependable news source, or will online journalism become solely a hobby, providing unreliable and possibly inaccurate information? The answer to these highly sought out questions lie only in the future. As for now, according to Boxall, "It will be a long time before print ends."
