Where Will All The Newspapers Go?

After a weekend in the Windy City at the UNITY Journalism Conference I discovered that I'm not alone. I'm not alone in still holding on to the hope that as journalists we really can change the world, and that the power of the printed word actually does make a difference.

Yet while I'm not alone, all these journalists (including myself) who still hold on to the romantic idea of newspapers and coffee on a Sunday morning have had to wrap their brains around one word: digital. I've had to erase the image out of my head of people around the country reading my work on the cover of a black and white newspaper and replace it with the image of thousands of readers clicking on the podcast that accompanies my article on the main website of a large publication.

While that image doesn't exactly coincide with what I'd always imagined my future work as a journalist would be, the thought of digital change in the world of journalism is actually exciting. I myself am a victim of the digital world, as a blogger, serial text-messager and faithful reader of CNN.com. So in actuality, the print and broadcast world becoming internet based coincides with my lifestyle. As I head towards a career I can apply the skills I already use in my everyday life towards my professional skills.

What's truly troubling, however, about this move into a digital world is where will all the newspapers go? And, an even more troubling question from a journalist's perspective, where will all the reporters go? According to www.disassociated.com, as of July 7th more than 6,000 journalists have been laid off in the past year, a staggering number that has continued to increase each week since.

The phenomenon that is occurring at these publications is the older, more seasoned newspaper veterans that don't have as much digital knowledge are being laid-off and replaced with younger reporters like myself who already know how to accompany their story with an innovative and creative video complete with special effects. While of course my own professional self-interest comes first and foremost, a large part of me is saddened at the thought of the talented journalists whose work once inspired me to enter the field now laid-off trying to find freelance work anywhere they can. As someone who truly cares about the power of the word, it is truly disheartening to think of all the powerful words lost because of these layoffs and cutbacks.

So if I want a place in this new world of digital media, it's goodbye old world, hello new age. In my job search during my dwindling months as a college student, the objective will be to market myself as a tech-savvy, digitally capable journalist who is flexible in this age of change and knows how to edit, shoot, podcast and blog. I'll save the newspapers for my Sunday mornings.

Now, let me finish reading this article on CNN.com about the projected $490 billion deficit for 2009...