Content area
Full Text
AFTER SPEAKING TO SOURCES FOR THIS ARTICLE, WE EMAILED A FOLLOW-UP QUESTION. HERE ARE SOME RESPONSES, TRIMMED FOR LENGTH. SEE MORE AT SPJ.ORG/QUILLASP.
ANNA TARKOV (SPJ member)
Chicago-area-based freelance reporter, most recent piece on Journatics was published by Poynter online
annatarkov.com
@annatarkov
Oh boy, that's the million-dollar question, isn't it? I think about it constantly. I can't predict the future, but what I can say is what I hope the future will be like.
My major hope is that those working in media will communicate substantively with news consumers. Substance doesn't just mean: tweet us! Or send us your storm photos! Substance means true, real engagement; actually understanding where the consumers of your news are coming from, responding to their concerns and complaints in a timely manner and making them partners in what you're doing, not just passive observers. This is the only hope news organizations have of maintaining relevance and remaining and/or becoming an important part of their audience's lives. Doing good reporting is just not enough anymore. And what is considered "good" is no longer decided by editors, news directors, executive producers, etc.
MORT ROSENBLUM
Author, "Little Bunch of Madmen " and founder of Reporting Unlimited; 50-year veteran journalist
facebook.com/reportingunlimited
@inortrosenhlum
Lots of Americans tune outthe world, but many don't. And there is that other 96 percent of the world's population. As people fathom the crises we all face, I expect demand to grow for serious, thoughtful reporting. Smart, young reporters who've been exploited by new outlets that underpay are being more selective. And exploiting editors...