Same job. New medium.

Today in comms we talked the future of newspapers. Since the advent of the internet the demand for newspapers has steadily declined and newspapers have become endangered. Newspapers are reducing budgets, laying off staff, and basically doing whatever they can to cut costs. The ability to get news with the internet easier than with a traditional newspaper, faster, and at no cost has caused newspaper distribution to plummet (sp?) and online sites like craigslist have eaten away to newspaper's revenue stream. Although there is something to be said for the tactile feel of holding a paper, and how much information is gained compared to surfing an internet news site, this doesn't seem like enough to save newspapers. There will always be some market for traditional newspapers, but in just a few years they may become an oddity.

Even though newspapers are on the wane I feel that newspaper reporters and those students studying print journalism have little to fear. Newspapers may be failing, but that in no way shows that people care any less about news. In fact, using the internet, the average person likely gets news information from more sources than they would have years ago. The profession of a journalist is based upon writing and I personally cannot conceive of a time in which people will not need the news digested and well written. The journalists 0f tomorrow may very well not be working on a newspaper staff, but they will have plenty of opportunities to write for news websites. These internet sites gain a profit off of advertising space, much like a newspaper, and as the internet continues to grow and the industry learns how to best use advertising on the internet, more and more positions will be available. It's the exact same job, just on a new medium.