Inside the Industry
August 19th, 2010 § Leave a Comment
By Catherine Bradley
Everyone knows that the concept of online journalism has long ago arrived and is here to stay. The question is what it exactly means for the future of the journalism industry. Will print journalism become obsolete? Will the industry be able to make any money? Will readers be willing to pay in order to read online articles?
As today’s guest speaker, New York Observer editor-in-chief Kyle Pope pointed out, nobody knows. And anyone who does know is lying.
But Pope shed some interesting light on the online movement. Rather than forecasting doom and bankruptcy for everyone involved in the business, he said, “It is an incredibly exciting time to be a journalist. [...] We’re in the eye of the hurricane.”
Pope also shared some advice with the aspiring reporters.
“Be a lot more adaptable,” he suggested. “You have to have drive. You have to have curiosity. You have to read. You have to go up to strange people and ask uncomfortable questions.”
Seems like basic advice. But maybe during this tumultuous time in the journalism world, the basics are what one needs to remember most.
