State of the News Media 2013

According to the Pew Research Center's State of the News Media 2013, "nearly one-third of respondents (31%) have deserted a news outlet because it no longer provides the news and information they had grown accustomed to." This may be a combination of newsroom cuts and the rise in technology used in journalism. An issue brought about by the Pew Research Center's study is are social media and technology the death of traditional news?  While many news organization have embraced and utilized technology, where should the line be drawn? Are journalists simply becoming the mouth pieces of political figures and technology with no human research of their own? As much as we'd like to think that journalism is stepping into the digital world, moving forward and evolving, there are some considerations that must be made before technology is wholly relied upon.

Reading this reports as an editor, a couple of key things stuck out to me. The first is the information about the demographics most likely to leave a long trusted new organization. Of those leaving news outlets because of discontent more men than women, older readers than younger readers, and Republicans than Democrats are likely to be in that group. This catches my attention and as an editor because given these statistics, I'd look into who reads my publication most and try and see the holes in reporting that may be driving others away. This exercise wouldn't be to cater to a certain demographic in order to bring them back, but to analyze and see if something is being overlooked in coverage. A general finding in the report is that people seem to leave because of quality, not just quantity, of stories covered. Does this have a tie in to technology trumping humans in reporting, investigating and gathering facts? We shouldn't rely on technology to make and find our stories, but use it to disperse and inform.

The second key item that stuck out to me is advertising. Advertising in print is a completely different animal than online or on a mobile device. With online news gathering becoming increasingly popular, I do think editors should evaluate and incorporate web-based coverage in as many ways as they can. Paying for online subscriptions is a good start, but organizations need to try new techniques for advertising online and on mobile devices that is efficient for both businesses and the readers.

Though much of this report displayed a dismal outlook for newspapers and news as a whole, there is hope. Audiences are still turning to newspapers and TV programs the know and trust and continue to tell the news. According to the Pew Research Center's report, "strong brands with solid reputations still matter " so as long as news organization strive to protect that, there is still a bright future for journalism.