‘Get the story.’ ‘Tell the Story.’ ‘It’s a lead story.’ These three tools are ways of journalism, storytelling. The story is everything when journalists report, it’s all of the rites and rituals. Often time journalists find asking themselves, “is it a good story?” If it’s not a good story then why waste time on trying to make something a good story, the scoop, deadlines, headlines, accuracy, public interest, etc. There are three main aspects that are essentially “killing” off journalism which are, journalists have extended the story way beyond what it’s useful for, the extended story has become the root of the mistrust journalists face, and the internet has taught the readers that neither the other two reasons need to be factual. The internet is enabling the readers to come to their news in their way and their time.
The New York Times posted an article called “Snow Fall” and I analyzed it as a reader. John Brach, the writer, found a story, told the story, and found a lead story people will be interested in without the fabrication of the truth. He had interviewed people for his story which makes the story more personal and entertaining. Yet, the story is still truthful and trustworthy. This is an article that informs people the dangers of skiing and participating in snow sports. I think articles such as this can help reshape the future of journalism. The story is news worthy and it is truthful which journalists can learn from. Journalism doesn’t need to be this over exaggerated story, something just as simple as taking personal stories from participating in snow sports can attract people.
So the question is, what’s next for journalism? Is journalism dead? I believe journalists have lost the main idea regarding what they are suppose to be doing which is informing the public of truthful newsworthy stories. If the fabricated news stories continue, I do believe journalism is dead. The internet is such an easy way to access information and people are soon going to stop trusting what is being put out there for audiences. I believe bringing in more visual elements can help make the story more truthful for audiences. It shows proof of the story and can really help make stories more personal and less of just what people want to see. The deadlines are not an important aspect of what journalism is, yet it is presenting quality news. The future of journalism is in the hands of the current journalists, will they decide to continue what is happening or will they take it into their hands and makes changes. I guess they can decide, but for us as readers, it’s important to know what is real news and what is fake news. If we continue to support fake news, there is no option to save what we know as journalism. It’s important to continue to educate people what is fake news and real news, especially in times like these. You can’t always trust the first thing you see and education is power.
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