What happens to investigative journalism?
Underneath all the very real concern about the future of daily newspapers and other “mainstream” media are questions about what will happen to the expensive, time-consuming journalism such organizations have traditionally done. Washington Post media writer Howie Kurtz raises the issue:
Newspapers and networks face the same dilemma: too many people doing other things with their time, from Web-surfing to podcast listening, or simply losing interest in news altogether. Some of these customers are consuming the companies’ wares online, which is great for exposure but doesn’t produce the revenue needed to support long-form reporting. If this erosion continues, it would be bad news for serious journalism, and good news for corrupt politicians.
Link.
There’s also an online discussion where Kurtz and some of his readers get into it a little more.
Lex Said,
October 24, 2006 @ 11:00 pm
I think if it survives at all, it will do so as the product of nonprofit operations. But I’m not at all optimistic that it will survive. I wish I were.