Looking into the abyss: the future of journalism

I graduated from journalism school a few years ago. Online is what everyone was pushing. Everything is pointing towards journalism in real time on the Web. I'm for it. I think it saves time and effort. However, I say that from a very comfortable job that doesn't appear to have layoffs looming (or so I hope). On the other hand, I grew up reading the Washington Post and getting that ink on your hands was just part of Sunday afternoon. Newspapers will always have more sentimental value.

Newspapers may have sentimental value, but the truth is, it's easier and more efficient to get the news online.

I grew up reading the Boston Globe, and would wake up early before school so I could leisurely read it at breakfast. But fast forward to today, when I work from home from my laptop and wrangle my toddler every morning, I just don't have the luxury of time to read the paper the way I want to and just canceled my Sunday subscription.

The truth is, I stare at a computer screen for much of the day and I can click on the stories that interest me. Yes, I miss stuff I used to find in the print version, but considering I used to recycle the Sunday paper weeks after it was news because I couldn't get to it in time, I figure it's the way things are.

And I write this as a longtime print and online journalist. These days, I'll write for whoever wants to pay me and I've done enough of both to think that it's a transition, but not an impossible one. People want the story and the facts right, no matter where they're reading.

I worked in print for too many years. Learned html in the mid-90s and haven't looked back (oh, except to wonder about those who still work in print). The transition is easy. Print has so little in it these days...and it's old by the time its delivered.

I worked in print journalsim until last year. As a self-professed geek, I'd always liked computers and really wanted to do something that mixed my journalism degree with computers.

My last job brought me a good title but no digital experience so I taught myself SEO, blogging software, social networking, HTML, analytics, etc. I devoured websites and blogs the way some people do the Sunday NY Times.

Teaching myself how to do all of these things online helped me transition into the digital media position I have now. A byproduct of the self-teaching has been a large number of people asking me exactly what I did and how I did it so they can do it too.

All in all, I'm extremely glad I did it.

Hey Lisa,
Boy, are things changing. In college I interned at two print magazines and was the editor of a weekly student newspaper. Upon graduating in May of 2007, I just couldn't find anything in print, so I took a job as editorial assistant at a niche personal finance website. I got really into blogging and social media, and fortunately since it was run by an old-school newspaper journalist, we still wrote legit journalistic pieces. But I've done freelance writing for some websites that claim they want professional writers/journalists, but it's completely focused on keywords rather than content, and there's all these linking strategies you have to keep in mind...it's a totally different animal. Sometimes I prefer online because it is more interactive, but I miss working at a print publication. I will freelance for some, and there's nothing like holding a magazine with an article with your name on it. It's just less satisfying sometimes when online...though it does make it easier to share with others. Oy vey. It's scary times for us writers.
Emily

What I like about reading NYT in the flesh:

-The delicious tactile sensation of holding the paper, flipping it in your hands, and folding it up, which nothing else can ever duplicate.

-Seeing all the articles in a section without having to click through, and seeing how long those sections are. Sometimes you miss articles when they are hidden.

-Seeing the illustrations that go with the articles. Sometimes the titles are so poetic that you have no idea what the article is about just from the titles.

-The newspaper layout. Something about editorials in the same place just seems right.

-Feeling smart when I read it on the train.

What I like about reading the paper online:

-Free.

-No mess.

-You can go back and find articles later.

-No inky hands.

-Convenient (you don't have to get dressed to read it)

-Blogs.

-Interaction with the writers and editors.

So much as I will miss it, convenience will be tradition every time.

I was a journalism major getting ready to graduate in 2003. I took one look at the job market and applied to grad school to get my M.Ed. The pay's no better, but the job security definitely is.

Magazines and newspapers wind up as clutter. I think visual material still looks better in a magazine.

In my opinion, printed books are still superior for reading research and study. But they are also clutter.

If I wanted to support myself writing, I would look to develop a very focused audience with a higher income dem.

Reading The Long Tail would also be essential.

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