1st Assignment Blog Entry

“At its core, the job of the working journalist today is unchanged”

I somewhat agree with this statement. The main job of a journalist is to report the news and hopefully give an unbiased report on current issues. So with that in mind, this statement is true.

On the other hand, today’s journalist faces many challenges then that of the journalist from the past. Last semester in Press and Public Affairs class we discussed some of the ways today’s journalist has to adopt to a changed world.

One element journalists of today have to face is the failing economy and jobs being cut. This means some journalists may have to learn how to be multi-skilled to keep their jobs.

David Scharfenberg, of The Boston Globe, knows first hand how the economy is hurting today’s working journalist. “younger, less-familiar staffers at the bottom of the seniority list are feeling the pinch. I should know. The Providence Journal laid off this 30-something reporter just a few months ago.”

Instead of interviewing and writing stories the today’s journalist must be able to take photographs, have some understanding of the web, and any editing techniques.

Speaking of having some knowledge about the web, journalists today need to be aware of changing and new technology. For instance, social networking sites like Facebook have become very popular and are a great way to get news out.

I decided to do some research on what others thought about journalism today. I found an interesting blog about how writer, Will Bunch feels that some journalists today could be influenced by the career of Walter Cronkite.

Bunch, states how Cronkite influenced his career as a journalist. “I would have to say that no other newsman has had as great an impact on me, and on what I have come to believe about the role that journalists must play in American life.”

I thought this blog was a great example of what journalism is today because is coming from a working journalist. I also admire how the writer sited many things about Cronkite that could influence a journalist today.

Also while researching this topic I found an article I thought was interesting. The concept of a blogger is fairly new and can be a contemporary element in today’s journalism. We talked about bloggers last class. One topic we covered was concerned with the issue of bloggers being considered real journalists, if they are, do they need to follow the same rules as professional journalist do?

One blogger comments on how the world of blogging and professional reporting sometimes over lap, but does not giving the blogger enough time in the spot light.

“On occasion, courageous bloggers are given awards for their work. Yet when this does happen, few U.S. news organizations send reporters to interview them or link to their blogs on their own Web sites. Rather than collaborate with them as colleagues, they and their words are marginalized even as crippling cuts in foreign reporting are happening at newspapers and television stations.”