Notes from a Publisher: No Better Time to be a Journalist, or a Citizen

As happens on the web sometimes, I wandered across something interesting as I skipped from browser tab to browser tab. On the Herald Bulletin's homepage, I saw Scott Underwood's latest column - Scott Underwood: Competition for journalism jobs intense. Without reading anything other than the title, I knew I had to respond. For a few reasons, actually. 

One is something a retired newspaperman told me once when I talked to him when I first started the free press project in ECI. He said one of his ideas or suggestions was to take an editorial or viewpoint from the paper (we were in Muncie at the time, so it would have been The Star Press) and to run an opposing view. I've thought about the idea since he gave it to me, and it's a good one. I've even done it once or twice here and there, but I should do it more.

The other reason I knew I had to respond - well, I guess it's my "ethical responsibility." Small smile. (See the whole thing about the HB closing down their public forums to get that one.) To be honest, I've not read a lot of his columns. As I read his latest, though, I had to disagree with him.

He painted a dire picture perhaps of newsrooms laying off staff to stave off the loss of revenue. Now, I don't know the HB's numbers, but I wonder what their profit margin is currently. From what I know, a lot of media companies are still enjoying a 10% to 20% profit margin. The problem is, they have a lot of debt, they made a lot of gambles with their money in the heydey. 

When I was part of corporate media, working for them, slaving away on salary for them, I saw a lot of waste, a lot of money being made just to perpetuate the machine. It wasn't really about the local community anymore. Oh, it was for most of the people who worked there, because we lived in the community as well, but the owners, they were another story. 

CNHI isn't Gannett, but they're also a big chain of newspapers. I'm not saying they don't care about the local community, because at the personal level, I'm sure all the people there care about their city, their community, especially if they live here. The thing is, though, even with a great profit margin, they're laying off people and not hiring as much as they used to back in the heyday. 

Mr. Underwood did mention the Herald Bulletin might be hiring a new reporter, which is good. I think he generally painted the world of journalism as bleak, though. When in actuality, it's not. Far from that, in fact. I would go as far as to say that it's one of the most exciting times to be a journalist.

As most of you know, all the pieces aren't in place yet as business models are continually evolving, but me and a lot of other ex-corporate journalists (and even some non-journalists - see ElwoodIndiana.org) are fighting in the front lines of a battle to change the media landscape in this country. And we've won battles and lost battles, but the war rages on.

The thing that gives me hope, though, isn't that I might some day have a staff of trained journalists, but that I have you guys (and ladies) - the people. That's so very important. I hope I do show that I realize the importance. You guys are the site, a part of the process.

I've said it before, but I'll say it again - journalism is a conversation, not a monologue anymore. The Herald Bulletin still doesn't "get that," I don't think, which is a shame. It's so interesting to me that they went with a 'retro' look on their print redesign. Psychologically, it hints that they've been around for years and years, and have a track record. On the other hand, it also conveys that they think the past is where it's at. 

I'm slowly building up my reputation here in town for being fair and honest and transparent here at AFP, but it will take many, many years to really build that up. In the meantime, though, I think I'm doing more by inviting you, the people formerly known as the audience, into the conversation. 

As I read Mr. Underwood's column, I could picture all the poor students scurrying from table to table to try to beg and plead for a low paying entry level job with a 'big paper' which could be used as a stepping stone to a 'real paper' elsewhere in the country. And I saw him in my mind, sitting back and interviewing them, playing the role of gatekeeper once again. 

When I hire people eventually, journalists and others, I want them to be connected to the community we serve, to stick around and build up a reputation along with the site. The newsrooms may be hiring one or two reporters here and there, but how many veteran reporters have been let go because it's better to have two just out of school journalists for the same price in pay? (I'm not sure I agree with that in all cases... you need the veterans, the people who know the city, how it works, who the players are...)

I don't know. I have a lot of dreams. And every day that passes, as AFP changes and molds into something we all like and get value from, I see that the dreams are a real possibility. Why shouldn't Anderson, Indiana be known in the future as the place that the people rose up and, with the help of a renegade publisher, took back the power of the local media for themselves? I'm sure it would help attract national attention to our city - in a good way. 

Together, I think we can do it. No, I know we can do it. In my mind on some days, we've already done it and there's no looking back. 

After reading Underwood's words about the sad state of affairs for journalists and newspapers across this great nation of ours, I wanted to stand up and say, no, it's not so bad. There's a little media revolution going on wherein the people are standing up and saying they're not going to take the media they're given anymore, that they're going to demand more. 

Underwood wrote:

Only the better, more passionate students, of course, will find jobs in [the] newspaper [industry]. The others will look elsewhere. And in the end, the recession-induced leaning of the newspaper industry will be good for it. Whatever we endure, as long as it doesn’t kill us, only makes us stronger. 

Here's what I say. The better, most passionate students will begin to realize, more and more, that the large media companies aren't the only answer out of college. The better, more passionate students will be attracted to companies and individuals who are helping to shape the media landscape for the better. The "leaning of the newspaper" has nothing to do with the recession. (Well, ok, it probably has a little to do with it...)

It has a lot to do with the way newspapers have been run in the past, though. In my travels talking to people all over East Central Indiana these last four years, I've heard more people upset and negative about the local media than happy and pleased with it. There's a reason for that. (A lot, actually, but I'll leave that for another column perhaps...) 

Forget the newspaper industry! I want what's good for the people. There are more regular, everyday working people than 'journalists' and 'politicians' and 'business owners' put together.  In my humble opinion, it's time for journalists to stop worrying about the "industry" and start worrying about who they serve - the people. When you blame all your woes on a nameless "recession," it's easy to miss things like that.  But it's the journalists who remember that who will be the ones to survive in the media landscape of the future.

Thanks for listening. I'll stick around for an open, transparent, and public discussion below. ;)