The state of Journalism in America - Essay Example

? The of Journalism in America Journalist in the United s began as a humble affair (Lisa, & Sloan, 2002). The increasingly fight for democracy and freedom for the press became a force that could not be overcome. This force transformed into a political force which ultimately resulted into the America independence in 1776 (Lisa, & Sloan, 2002). As America cities such as Boston, Washington, New York and Philadelphia grew so did journalism. The telegraph, larger printing presses, alongside other technological innovations provided for mass printing of newspapers, and boosted circulation of the newspaper thereby increasing revenues collected (Winfield, 2008). In large cities, some of the newspapers were politically independent. For smaller cities, most were closely tied to political parties, which were used to communicate and campaign. The editorials of such newspapers explained party position on current issues while damning the opposition. The press expanded rapidly as the major support element in the American party systems (Winfield, 2008). By 1900 key newspapers had turned into profitable power houses of muckraking, sensationalism and advocacy, along with professional news gathering. In the late 19th Century much of United States Journalism were housed in large media conglomerates. The digital journalism was later introduced in the 21st Century, with all newspaper facing business crisis as readers turned to internet as their major source of getting news with advertisers following them (Joyce, & Nip, 2006). The increasing growth of the impact of internet, particularly in after 2000, introduced “free” news. It also classified advertisements to audiences that could no longer care for paid subscriptions. Many dally newspapers had the business model undercut by the Internet. Bankruptcy loomed across America and even hit major papers such as the Chicago Tribune, the Loss Angeles Times, and the Rocky Mountain news among many others. Since then, journalism has never remained the same. This paper explores the state of journalism in America. Journalist which largely deals with public service broadcasting, is relatively unique in the United States in that they are independent from the government. Most of the corporations are decentralized. However, like other public service broadcasting corporations in which journalists operate, often derive some of their funding from the government. Some public service corporations derive their funding from the community or non-profit organizations. Other forms of funding include pledges from sponsors. The government directly discharges broadcasting services, albeit their limited number. Public broadcasting corporations often come with their programs. They also purchase the programs from distributing and producing companies such as APT, APM and NPR, among others. The funding of the public broadcasting corporations are channeled through the Public Broadcasting Corporation (Brad, 1994). The Public Broadcasting Television service receives support from the viewers, as well as commercial sponsors. It is this feature that has made them to be characterized as commercial broadcasting corporations. However, it is worth noting that the commercial advertisements are often limited, short and relatively muted. Technologies have enabled the public to access the channels of television through the cable systems, which are funded by the franchise fees and television donations (Brad, 1994). The United States’ public broadcasting television channels have been widely criticized for leaning towards conservatism. Since 2012, erosion of news reporting resources has continued to converge with increasing opportunities for those on government agencies, politics, companies with others taking messages directly to the public (Fuller, 1999). In 2012, there were signs of shrinking in reporting power. The estimates for cutbacks in the newspaper newsroom in 2012 put media industry down 30 percent since 2000. It also put the industry below 40,000 employees who are on a full-time program for the first time since 1978 (Fuller, 1999). It was also revealed that in local TV, areas such as weather, traffic, sports now account for approximately 40 percent of the content that is produced on newscast studied with the story lengths reported to be shrinking. The CNN so its story packages cut nearly to half in a period of five years (from 2007 to 2012). Across three cable channels that cover live reports and events in course of the day, and which require correspondent and a crew, dropped 30 percent in five years (from 2007 to 2012) with the interview segments, which often take somewhat fewer resources were up 31 percent. Time magazine, cut on average 5 percent of its staff in late 2012 as part of the wider company layoffs. In African-American news media, the Afro reduced the number of pages in its papers 29-33 in 2008 to about 17-20 in 2012 while the Chicago defender winnowed its editorial staff to four. A growing list of other media outlets adopted the Narrative science’s technology to produce content using algorithm, which reduced human reporting. There has been newer nonprofit entrances such as the Chicago News Cooperative that have launched this technology with much fanfare, thus shutting their doors to human reporting (Lisa, & Sloan, 2002). This shows journalist operate in news industry which is somewhat more unplanned and undermanned to uncover stories, deeper into the emerging ones, and does not provide for deeper questioning. Findings from a recent study has faulted the current news industry for not providing information and news that the American society expects. According to this study, 31 percent of respondents have deserted news outlets because they feel that it no longer provides information and news they expect and have grown accustomed to (Lisa & Sloan, 2002). Similarly, in the American journalism, newsmakers and others who have information and want to bring it into the public arena have increasingly become adept at using social media and digital technology to accomplish on their own without having traditional media to filter them. They also see more success in converting their message into a traditional media narrative. This trend has become common in the political sphere. Lisa and Sloan (2002) findings show that campaign reporters were turning into megaphones rather than investigating the assertions fronted by the candidates and political partisans. This means that investigative journalists have assumed the roles of direct relaying of assertions that are made by the candidates instead of interpreting and conceptualizing them. This trend carry beyond the political realm with more entities seeking to fill the empty overstretched editorial resources. There has been reported cases of organizations coming up with the sole purpose of serving as tour guides to journalists. Such organizations inject favorable portrays of the town into media coverage. A number of news organizations even including the associated press, have been on record for carrying out fake press release about Google which promised clients that it will reach top media outlets. Recently, David Cay Johnston, a journalist, wrote about a pitch, in which he included a “vacation reward” for his story. In this story, Johnston remarked “journalists get lost of the pitches like it is these days, which reflects how the number of journalists has continued to shrivel as the number of publicists grow.” The census Bureau data, confirm that the ratio of the public relation workers to journalists increased from 1.2 to 1 in 1980s to 3.7 to 1 in 2009. According to this research, this gap is likely to widen. The traditional newsrooms have shrunk. There are, however, other new players coming up to produce contents that can advance citizens’ understanding concerning public issues. These new players have come up to cover subject areas that should have been covered on a regular basis by beat reports in a traditional news outlets areas such as education, science, and health. In 2013 more news outlets begun carrying the content with direct attribution to a given source. For example, the Washington post carried articles bylined by on Kaiser Health news on a regular basis. New organizations find it complicated to distinguish between high-quality agenda-driven news and information on public value. The dormant long sponsorship advertisement is experiencing a rapid growth. This area has experienced massive growth in the digital revenue advertisement where the organizations take initial steps in moving in. The promotion of tweets using Twitter account for growth together with the increase in the native advertisements which are the digital terms used for advertorial like the stories produced, run along an editorial site content. Even if it may be minimized in dollars, the section’s rate of growth comes second after the displayed videos. The advertisements that were sponsored increased from thirty eight point nine percent to about one point five six billion dollars. This was followed by a sharp increase of fifty six point one percent in the year 2011. The publications that were originally made in the tradition like the Forbes, and the Atlantic, together with the digitalized publications like Gawker, and BuzzFeed are depended on the native advertisements to establish their advertisement digital revenue to be able to increase their use. The tech website showed out that the key publishers like the Time, Hearst, and Conde Nast do invest in those formats that run the native advertisement like the many newspapers. Developing this would make the readers be confused about the difference between the news content and the advertisement. For instance, during January, Atlantic was established as a result of the content found on the website, which included a vague advertorial identification obtained from the Scientology church. This advertisement explained the fact that the organization had realized that exploring new digitized forms of advertisement would fail to have the policies governing the decisions to be made. In this case, after running the policies, it was prudent for the company to reconsider the policies once again. The increase in the digital paid content experiments could have huge effects on the content and the revenue of news (Nord, 2008). After numerous years of a theological debate on whether the digital content needs to be free, the industry of newspaper realized a tipping point in the year 2012. Among four hundred and fifty grownups, one thousand three hundred and eighty dailies announced or started the plans for some category content paid, subscribed or a plan for paying for the model which would allow some free visitors before the users start paying. This trend has spread out to many newspaper companies. With the growth in the digital revenue advertisement to at least three percent each year in the industry of newspaper, digitalized subscription is observed as a vital part of new modes for the business of journalism, though in other cases they may reduce to a vaue lower than the replacement of the lost revenue in advertisement. The two year program of digital subscription as reported in the New York Times has a circulation revenue that exceeds the revenue of advertisement a change in the sea from the spit of the traditional revenue. This split is approximated to be eighty percent the advertisement dollars from the circulation considered being twenty percent. A good number of news executives held the view that the model of new business emerged where the mix between circulation and advertisement are almost similar especially with a third portion of the new revenues that were not directly tied to the products of news. The digital paid content rice could have an impact that is positive about the journalistic quality as organizations of news aspire to give high quality and unique content that the public rely on and the content is worth the payment. The main objective involves maintaining the Clark Gilbert philosophy. One staunch news organization that focused on the muscle of the editor in which one could bring actual distinction and value, Gilbert asserted that there was a need for the differentiation of the news outlets. In this case, Gilbert argued that a media house should invest in that area for which they are the best. Even as the hardest, yet the first challenge in the industry cropped in, the newspaper was left in the spotlight, and the local TV found itself being extremely vulnerable. The audience of the local TV were down across each slot of time and across different networks in the year 2012. The off-peak hours such as four thirty in the morning that have been added by different years to ensure that the audience hit their ceiling. Even as the local TV remains a news source that is reliable for different Americans, the exact percentage dropped sharply in the younger generations. The local regular TV view ship in the adults under thirty years reduced from forty two percent during the year 2006 to twenty eight in the year 2012. Additionally, those topics that people follow include the breaking news and weather, are ready for any replacement by a different web number, and the outlets that are based on mobility. Considering the many ramped out stations in giving digital news, they are all delayed in getting into the digital game. The revenues of advertisement were high for the year, as a result of a windfall of two point nine billion dollars in the advertisement political revenue, something that may not be replicated in the years of non-election. The average revenue for producing news in the stations was declined by a figure higher than thirty six percent from the year 2006. Getting news from sources like friends and family either thought he social media or through direct word of mouth may result into a deeper way of consumption. Many Americans seek full news story after getting an issue or event from family or friend. In about three quarters of the adults, the convenient method of obtaining news from family or friends is through having an individual talk to them either directly or through the phone. In the groups about sixty three percent of individuals may seek the news stories concerning a particular issue. On the other hand, social networking is a section of the process through which individual pass the news. Fifteen percent of United States adults obtain most of their news out of friends and family. Of these, seventy seven percent of them follow the recommended links to read the news. The age bracket of individuals who rely on the social media is between eighteen to twenty nine years old. Just like any other job, journalism has its own challenges and a reporter in the United States has to take them as part of her/his occupation. According to Carey (2002) the biggest challenge for any journalist is survival. In the United States, there are intense competitions emanating from various newspapers, news channels and other print media. Reporter are therefore, expected to work under pressure for him or her to be able to break or create news. The American Journalists dictates that the journalists get incentives from the news they gather. They are, therefore, to overstretch and get in any part of the world in order to get breaking news (Nord, 2008). Journalist in America are also bound by time. They have to always ensure they live up to the strict deadlines. As media professionals, they must ensure they complete their assignments before the end of a set deadline. Newspaper reporters must ensure they hand over report or stories till 11 pm considering the fact that most newspapers are often printed overnight. For TV reporters, they have to ensure they hand in their report by latest 9 am if they want it aired in the evening. No flexibility is offered to such journalists. Journalists in America are obliged to visit places which are badly struck by calamities such as heavy snowfalls, floods, cloud burst, and landslides. They must visit some of the worst hit regions in order to wake up get information from the authorities of the affected areas. This poses a serious threat to their lives. There has been cases where media practitioners have been injured while covering stories in the American soil. References Brad A. 1994. "The Professional Vision: Conflicts Over Journalism Education, 1900-1955," American Journalism. New York: Oxford. Carey, J. 2002. "The Problem of Journalism History. New York: Oxford Fuller, J. 1999. News Values: Ideas for an information Age. New York: Yale Univerisity. Joyce Y. & Nip, M. 2006. "Exploring the second phase of public journalism," Journalism Studies: 212-236 Lisa M, & Sloan, D. 2002. American Journalism: History, Principles. New York: McFarland. Nord, D. 2008. "The History of Journalism and History of the Book," (London: Routledge. Winfield, B 2008. Journalism: Birth of a Profession. New York: Oxford. . Read More