November Topic: A million to save journalism
Who wants to be a millionaire? I do!
But let’s face it: As journalists, it’s unlikely that we’ll see more than three noughts in our bank accounts any time soon. Come to think of it, even seeing two these days is a pleasant surprise.
It’s November already, folks, which means it’s time for our third TNTJ topic. This month’s discussion is going to be fun, because I think it’ll set our imaginations raging.
Now, I don’t know about you, but I often look at newspapers, websites, TV broadcasts and so on and think “gee, if I was in charge, I’d never do that!”.
I’m sure I’m not alone in this, so this month’s question (as suggested by Adam Hemphill) is:
If you had a million dollars to save journalism, what would you do?
Yup, that’s it. You can’t ask for a more open question than that.
Now while a million dollars may be a lot of money to you and I, it’s not a limitless pot of gold. To spend it wisely you’ll need to innovate, budget and prioritise.
Do you ditch all your subs and pump the money into reporting? Or do you cut your reporters and lease out specialist journalism to specialist outlets? Do you take a risk and train all your staff as fully-fledged multimedia journalists?
Where do you make cuts? Does the print edition have no place in your million dollar masterplan?
It’s over to you.
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November 3rd, 2008 at 9:58 pm
I thought of another headline for this post (because I just listened to the song):
“If you had a million dollars”
November 17th, 2008 at 1:31 am
[...] The question was ‘If you had a million dollars to save journalism, what would you do?‘ [...]
November 21st, 2008 at 10:24 pm
Dollars, based on the visible illnesses in American journalism right now, is the appropriate currency.
It is a major challenge for bureaucracies — media outlets in this case — to adjust to an academically weaker, more distracted public, and some haven’t got a clue. Journalism people need to learn to sell their game, and its potential, to the controlling people with the money, and to the public at the same time.
The money people might pay attention much better than the public whose general attention is based, largely, on minute-by-minute squeaky wheels, or whatever is making the most noise.
US-based related academics also needs some serious selling, reorganization, and new life — or did anyone notice a few years ago when Texas A&M University dropped journalism to a minor with nearby 2-year colleges in Brenham and Waco booting journalism altogether?
That money would be great, but we can start with our mouths, phone calls, e-mails, old fashioned letters, blog entries, and whatever other means of communication are available to educate, and sell, the need for and potentials of journalism.
Maybe someone, the right someones, could be bribed into paying attention to need and potential? Would anyone look at the weak dollar against the stronger pound, even if it was a milion?
December 6th, 2008 at 6:48 am
[...] to everyone who responded to last month’s topic, “If you had $1 million dollars to save journalism, what would you do?” Here is a list [...]