I had an opportunity this morning to speak to a class of graduating seniors at the University of Colorado, Boulder, specifically the rather dryly named "JOUR 4321: Media Institutions & Economics".
My topics: Are bloggers a meaningful part of the journalism landscape and how do bloggers make money blogging? I came prepared to discuss both topics, based on advance input and what I think are topics that should be important to students about to be pushed out into the bleak, unforgiving world of modern journalism.
I didn't expect a particularly warm welcome from the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, though, because as I have learned from a number of students and community members, many people in the department are convinced that they're the last bastion of true journalism and that the entire online world is worthless and that we're going to hell in a handbasket as democracy dies in lockstep with journalism dying.
The first question I had for the class, about 25 students, mixed male/female, was "how many of you have a blog?" One gal bravely raised her hand. "Okay, how many of you have a blog or write "Notes" on Facebook or otherwise write with some frequency?" Two hands went up. That's it. I was pretty darn surprised, needless to say. Journalism and mass communications students who aren't writers? And they're worried that us forward-thinking geeks are poisoning the well?
Then their instructor, Professor Dean Colby, jumped into the fray, positing that traditional, mainstream media is the heart of all journalism and that online bloggers "just aggregate but ultimately point back to traditional journalists". His position, as far as I could tell, is that since bloggers and online commentators don't have traditional journalistic training they have to piggyback on those that do, the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek, and so on.
"Did you read the article in yesterday's New York Times about mom bloggers?" I asked. He hadn't, but two students had (extra points for them!) "That's the opposite of what you're talking about: that's a mainstream media piece written by a blogger likely without any journalistic training."
"Ah, okay, but all bloggers are commentators, not reporters." I got in response.
Okay, I can go down this rabbit hole, with some glee, truth be told, it's a favorite topic of mine and I've explored it from stage more than once...
"So can I debunk a popular myth of journalism? There is no such thing as objectivity. All journalists, all publications, all media is biased. Don't believe me? Compare the headlines in different papers for the exact same story. You can instantly see their bias. Or compare how two writers can "objectively" report on an event differently. Word choice, phrasing, how quotes are assembled, it all contributes."
And so it went. We talked about how CNN is a bastion of journalism, except it now also relies on iReport reporters who don't have any formal training, just a camera and access, and we did talk about how bloggers make money through advertising, sponsorships, and affiliate programs, using Dr. Colby's fave site Denver Stiffs (a sports site) as an example.
Ultimately, it was an interesting conversation, but it's been a while since I felt like I was in the position of defending what I see as the natural evolution of media and journalism. As I feared, my impression of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication remains that it's a dinosaur howling at the impending climate change, it's King Canute standing on the beach, commanding "Ocean, be thou still! I bid thee come not nearer to my feet!" even as the waves implacably roll in.
The world of information dissemination is evolving before our eyes, going from four channels of television to hundreds to thousands, from one or two major newspapers per community to dozens, and from mainstream outlets to everything being an outlet. Journalism is surely just as much about speed of dissemination as it is digging up the muck (a relatively modern invention in the journalistic world, btw), so Twitter users breaking the news of the Chilean earthquake way before any news outlets do is a harbinger of the future, not a change to be feared.
My thoughts to the students in the class are twofold. First, things change. Deal with it or be obsolete. The market determines what's important, not your professors. Second, writers write. You should be writing every single day, even if it's restaurant reviews or letters to your favorite pals. It's a muscle, exercise it and you'll thrive in a changing world of information.
And finally, to the department, this sea change in the world of news, journalism and information dissemination is way too big to deny and fear. Embrace it. Jump into the pool and see what happens. Otherwise you're failing at the core mission of the School of Journalism: to produce journalists ready for the modern world and what will come tomorrow.