The Business Side of Journalism
By Dayanara Analuisa
The responsibilities of a journalist continue to pile up as the career undergoes more changes to adapt to modern society. Journalism used to be quite restrictive to only print or televised news. However, the career has branched out into a new horizon where journalists are a one-man band. They were once only responsible for writing and investigating the story, but due to changing times journalists are much more.
Professional journalists today have to take on the role of a businessman or women. No matter what the journalist is writing, the business aspect of journalism is an obstacle that everyone faces.
McChesney claimed in “Understanding U.S. Journalism I: Corporate Control and Professionalism,” the idea of professional journalism was not existent early and when it emerged, everything changed. McChesney explained, “Concentrated private control over the press, with the aim of profit maximization, has been the rudder directing U.S journalism for more than a century (57).
Although journalism went through a lot of changes, the notion of business and money go hand in hand. Without money, one cannot create a business and without a business, money will not appear out of thin air. It’s true that money can lead to greed, but it doesn’t always turn out that way. The awareness of business in journalism creates a lasting impression that the connection these two have may not always be a good idea.
The interconnectedness of journalism and business is illustrated in the modern day, but the downfalls that it entails are prevalent. The biggest part that business is involved with is advertising and marketing.
Advertising is one of the main ways news outlets can get money, and it allows them to push products towards their audience. In a way, advertising is born to make money through sales. On the other hand, professional journalists may not be used to selling products, and instead of pushing products they pull people in through their storytelling. Ironically, the work that is put out by journalists isn’t what’s bringing in money, but the ads.
The tension exists between journalist and marketers because their roles are different. Professional journalists don’t have much experience is raising money, but realistically it is what the job demands. While making money is necessary for any career, the business side of journalism can be toxic, and the constant obsession with making more money can turn into greed.
Business has illustrated that it can be a necessary part of journalism, but that doesn’t mean that it is the only way. Jim Brady proved that a massive business influence isn’t needed in “Spirited Media’s year of momentum: How being good for our word was good for our business.”
Brady explained that after a year of change, Spirited Media was better than ever. After reevaluating their business, they based their company on “passion, not page views.” The public is not required to spend money but if they want to support Spirited Media they can donate money. The rest of the money they raise either comes from events and ticket sales or sponsorships. At the moment, advertisements aren’t built into their website, but Spirited Media have made progress and will hopefully continue to succeed.
