I'm of mixed opinion when it comes to being funereal about hard-copy newspapers. I believe that newspapers will always be around -- which is to say there will always be some newspapers -- if nothing else, because of non-news-related advantages like portability and the fact that most papers cost less than a candy bar.
But of course the argument goes deeper. The Internet versus hard-copy dilemma is kind of like weighing the "people's press" against professional news. Despite the shift to the Web, there is still a lot of terrific hard journalism -- in designated places. Overall it's become murky, though, because when it comes to putting something – anything -- on the Internet, everybody has equal access. Not that long ago, fact and fiction had a fence that ran between them. An item was either in the newspaper or not in the newspaper. On the Web, it's often hard to distinguish "real journalism" from opinion and conjecture -- even lies. Practically anything can hide behind a fancy font.
One notable aspect of online news, regardless of whether it's killing the newspapers, is that a lack of editing can be a good thing. I’m not talking about spelling and grammar. A newspaper journalist must obtain editorial permission to write something in the first place. And then, after it’s been written, the integrity of a story can be destroyed by the deletion of one or two sentences. The Internet, despite its journalistic anarchy – or perhaps because of it – offers an outlet for pure, organic truth. There are other little advantages, like the fact that corrections can be made instantaneously instead of regretfully. Or that a YouTube tirade can effect change more quickly than a printed investigative report. And it doesn’t stop there. If Wikipedia’s cyber-volumes of well-researched knowledge are any gauge of truth on the Internet, it’s safe to say that it’s no Web of lies.
Jordan Oakes is a local journalist who has written for publications such as St. Louis Magazine and the Christian Science Monitor. He has strong opinions that begin to atrophy if he doesn't exercise his right to express them. Tune in every Wednesday for another installment of Mediatribe - and if you missed last week's post, click here.
