The (University Park) Daily Collegian, April 4

Poll: Journalism's focus suffering

By Max Garber
For the Collegian

A majority of journalists now say journalism is going in the wrong direction, according to a recent survey conducted by The Pew Research Center for the People and the Press.

However, journalists and prospective journalists at Penn State said the industry is simply changing, not getting worse.

In 2007, 62 percent of national journalists surveyed said journalism was going in the wrong direction, up 11 percent from 2004. Fifty-five percent of national journalists and 52 percent of smaller publication journalists cited business and financial concerns as the most important in 2007 whereas in 2004, quality of coverage was top among national, and only two percent behind financial concerns among smaller publication journalists. The survey included 585 reporters, editors and news executives.

Russ Eshleman, a professor in Penn State's College of Communications and former reporter for The Philadelphia Inquirer, attributed the trend to budget cutbacks, saying it "has to do with the significant cutbacks in terms of personnel."

"The industry's changing," Eshleman said, adding there is a shift to Internet news outlets and a decline in print circulation.

Melissa Melewsky, Media Law Counsel for the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association said she is more concerned with the legal challenges journalists face.

"There is no shield law for journalists," she said, emphasizing the importance of protection for journalists.

"I could see why journalists would be more hesitant to get involved in [the] in-depth investigations that are the hallmark of good journalism," she said. "Journalists do an important job, and I think it's one that should be protected and honored."

Malcolm Moran, a professor in the College of Communications and former reporter for The New York Times, USA Today and Chicago Tribune, also stressed the importance of technology in journalism today.

Moran tied the increased negative views of journalism and the budget cuts to the current economic situation, adding that "what is clear [is] this is not just some temporary downturn."

Moran said students should capitalize on their diverse skills.

"There is an assumption in the industry that this is the most technologically developed generation," he said.

Justin Budish (sophomore-journalism) has mixed feelings about the future of the industry.

"People want to get their information quicker and quicker. I think that's actually a bad thing," he said, adding that the rush to report news can sometimes trump accuracy.

However, Budish said he believes the cutbacks will be good for the news industry.

"It's becoming a more competitive field. The more competition you have, the higher the wages will be for journalists," he said.

Despite the increasingly negative view of journalism cited in the report, Eshleman said he's not concerned.

"I'm optimistic that there will always be a hunger for news," he said, "and somebody has to write a report or produce that news."

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