Now who’s old school?
Posted on | January 6, 2010 | No Comments
By Susan Older
1.6.2010
Founder, Displaced Journalists
Remember when we thought we were hip journalists? We were — for our time. So was my grandfather — the Hays Daily News linotype operator whose daily column was called “You Tell ‘Em, Judge.” That’s Judge Older in the picture (right), sharing a trash can with an ancient Underwood. I’ve heard enough family stories to know that Judge thought he was a cool cat and a hip journalist.
Technology changes everything, though. It always has and it always will. It has been the undoing of many DPJs, as my friends are calling displaced journalists. But it’s not the technology itself that’s hurting us. We can adapt; most of us have. It’s the cultural change that presents the biggest challenges. People who are equipped with new technology want their news and information packaged and delivered in whole new ways. That has changed news outlets and news outlets have responded with layoffs. Nevertheless, we are in a good position here: We have the work and life experience to solve the puzzle of how to make a living in this new environment.
It’s no surprise that newspaper employers, under extreme financial pressures themselves, are perfectly willing to ditch us for younger journalists who come equipped with tech training and work for less. Unfortunately, the layoffs do permanent damage to the news products. Among other things, there are fewer copy editors and fact checkers, which means errors. I rarely read a story online that doesn’t have at least one error; most have more. The reader who comes across errors in grammar, spelling or headlines tends to wonder if there are errors in substance and facts, as well. As accuracy and precision decline, reader trust goes down the drain.
In many ways, the hardest part is figuring out where we fit in, or if we do at all. If we want to stay in journalism, and maybe we don’t, we have to offer something unique. We can’t sit home in our pajamas and write stories for $20 each. That’s no victory. We need to chase our own dreams, create new adventures, make use of our unique talents in this new environment and, most of all, we need to evolve.
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