Newspaper publishers should be called before Congress

Technology has altered many industries in the last several years, but the media has taken some of the biggest hits of late. The Web, and now social networking sites, like Twitter, have made consumers into real-time news junkies. In some ways it feels like a Golden Age of information dissemination, but one with troubling consequences. We still have newspaper reporters feeding us old fashion journalism. We also have access to source material through government (and other) organizations and we can access this information on demand. We really have the best of both worlds–for now.

People are thrilled about the access to information, but over the last several months I have noticed a changing mood. Friends and strangers keep asking me about the future of journalism. I think there is a growing uneasiness. People are worried because they are sensing an information age disaster: they are picking up their newspapers and seeing thinner products, weaker reporting and writing, and more mistakes in the pages. And the mistakes and lack of quality in print are starting to seep onto newspaper Websites. Massive layoffs in the editorial ranks have left reporters scrambling to cover their beats, and experienced journalists are been fazed out, meaning newspapers are ruining their credibility with substandard products in print and on-line. I was on vacation for a couple weeks and and everywhere I went people were complaining about their local newspapers. (“Should I bother to subscribe anymore?”)

Even the elite newspapers are suffering. The result? Boots-on-the-ground reporting is often being left to individuals and foundation-funded sites like ProPublica. Citizens can do interesting journalism, and ProPublica and other sites continue to break stories, but why hasn’t the The New York Times’ Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Jr. or The Washington Post’s Katharine Weymouth or News Corp.’s Rupert Murdoch come to the forefront with innovative ideas on how to do great journalism and make it pay? While organizations like the Fair Syndication Consortium are fine, the lack of leadership among the big three is astounding. Newspaper publishers were once bold iconoclasts who were ready for a fight, but these men and women have done a profoundly poor job. Business journalists will spend a lot of time questioning the capabilities of business leaders, but they should turn a sharp gaze toward their own industry. Of course the circumstances are different, but just like auto executives, newspaper publishers should be called before Congress. Newspaper publishers have let a national treasure go to waste. The whole industry is dithering and it will be ruined without action. I am convinced that with ideas and leadership, positive change can come about. Remember ten years ago when Napster held the music industry hostage. Much of the world felt (for some reason) that ripping off artists was acceptable. Of course, iTunes changed the course of the music industry 99 cents at a time, and stealing music lost its allure.

I think the public senses that the end of journalism, as we know it, will bring corruption and disinformation. People want quality reporting and analysis; the true innovation is not coming from publishers but out-of-work reporters. It is important for an informed society that The New York Times, the Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and other dailies thrive. Newspapers are on the ropes. Which publisher will ensure his or her legacy as a savior?