While Print Media Declines, Internet Based Reporting Thrives, and Independent Voices are Empowered

image via: blog.communiquepr.com

We've been hearing a lot about the decline of print media. Some call the lessening demand a crisis, as it results in a reduction of jobs within the major media organizations who have become large employers, as well as the loss of an iconic and nostalgic door delivery service. Others agree that one of the most avoidable waste streams is now undergoing a positive and long overdue transformation into the digital age, and with it, a shift towards fresh, independent voices.

Besides the transformation of major news publications into a digital format through websites and phone apps, a further consolation of the decline in print media, is that the trend greatly empowers independent voices and the demand for those new independent voices has boomed tremendously. While some fear that this results in news reporting that is not credible or verified, internet based news reporting allows for interactivity, and discussion. This more diverse discussion can hone in on more collectively reliable verdicts, in a way that one solitary print media journalist cannot achieve. The success of the blog format, for instance, is often due to the author of the article merely starting a conversation rather than giving a complete synopsis.

The often prophesized and feared conglomeration of major media and control over content is arguably being offset by this increased proliferation of independent voices. The popularity of the blog format empowers anyone who wants to report news to do so. This allows for reporting within the nooks and crannies of society as well as niche subjects. Bloggers who commit to accurate reporting build up credibility or even popularity and recognition over time with a checks and balance system from commenters, other bloggers, reviews, etc. A good writer who is laid off from a major publication, has multiple avenues, perhaps not a guaranteed paycheck, but a freedom to create their own journalistic path. And, a huge waste stream is slowly being laid off, too.

And if the Majors don’t follow along, they may undergo the same difficulties as major record labels, or major car manufacturers.