Journalism and the “a” word
I am not one for New Year’s resolutions. The last time that I planned one, it was foiled in a few short days. However, as 2019 comes to an end, and with 2020 getting under way in less than 2 weeks, it has been cause for reflection and contemplation, in a year where the industry, and those who work in it, continue to be challenged.
It has been especially the case this week, as the Nieman Lab publication based at Harvard has been offering their annually curated list of predictions for journalism in the new year — featuring insight from some of the best minds in the industry. As we pause and reflect on the old year and what we want to do in the new year, I’ve been doing a lot of the “a” word.
The “a” word is quintessential to the work that journalists do on the daily basis — as we try to answer the six key questions to a story — who, what, when, where, why and how. The “a” word is also serving an important function in helping us assess where journalism is going and how we see our own roles in the industry.
The “a” word I refer to is ask — something that is paramount to journalism’s success in the New Year.
“… we need to talk more often and more openly about the state of journalism and how we fit into it. The challenges are many, and we need to include everyone — journalists and non-journalists, news loyalists and news avoiders — as we explore our values and search for solutions.” — Elizabeth Dunbar, writing in Nieman Lab’s annual prediction series
2020 will be providing tests for journalism, both in the economics of journalism and how we cover stories — whether its the landscape in the merger of Gannett and GateHouse or how journalists respond to covering the year’s presidential election and every caucus and debate in between. To ensure that we are ready for come what may, we must ask ourselves how we can best meet those challenges.
The conversations are not easy ones to have. They are uncomfortable, they are challenging and they are daunting. Yet, they are one of the simplest things that can be taken for granted.
We must not be afraid to have these conversations and ask these questions — for every opportunity to have these conversations, no matter the scale, allows us as a collective industry to make ourselves better, to advance our prospects and challenge what we know about journalism— but ultimately to drive ourselves to innovate at the ways we can do what we set out to do — help the people around us be at their best.
These conversations may appear simple on the surface, but they are more important than what they seem.
“Most of us did not get into journalism to educate people about the inner workings of the field. We’ve been taught not to be the story, or divert from our priorities to inform the public and protect the truth. But if we want to continue to reestablish trust with our audiences and re-enforce our industry, now’s the time to teach.” — Colleen Shalby, writing in Nieman Lab’s annual prediction series
To say that I know what my role is in this ever-changing industry is to say that I am not scared out of my mind as to what will happen to me in the new year. The truth is that I don’t know and I am absolutely scared, which is why I’ve been doing a lot of asking this year — and the truth is I’ll be doing a lot of asking next year too.
The future of journalism is something that no one can figure out by themselves. As the industry evolves, so too does the role for everyone in it, whether one is early in their career like I am or are established, and the longer that these conversations are put off, the larger the impact that will be felt not just in journalism but beyond.
Happy holidays and Happy New Year.
