I read a Poynter.org news feed from my inbox about the New Republic.
You can read the article
here.
I have to warn you that it's a bit of a long read but it just made me realise how people behind newspapers, magazines and other forms of print media are trying their best to cope with new journalism which I believe is what we now call online journalism.
I remember when I was still in university, our professor asked us to create a magazine that will represent our group. We were given a month or probably less than that to come up with the magazine.
My groupmates and I argued, debated and brainstormed of what can be the main feature of the magazine and what will the other issues to be discussed as well. However before that we also needed to agree on what audience are we catering to.
It was torture because we then thought that the time was not enough because you have to book interviews, layout your magazine, get your facts and story right, blah, blah, blah.
With what I have been reading from Poynter.org and all the other news sites now, it is as if everything needs to be released in a matter of seconds (okay, well hours hahha!). If a news item is hot, there should be tidbits regarding the matter or issue until the writer and editor assigned to it feel confident to release the story -- online.
I think we cannot wait for stories to be written in print anymore. I remember how people waited for their newspapers to be delivered at their doorstep or their
suking tindahan (convenience stores) so that they can read about the news (in depth or just plain reporting). Now, with just a swipe of a finger or pen (if you have a tablet), you can get your news.
It is a good thing I know because now, even news from Timbuktu (as long as their is internet) can be reported or read online.
Though I also wonder the struggles being made by traditional journalism and the journalists as well. This is what I have read or at least what was implied by the article. The previous person in charge left the New Republic because of the changes being made to the magazine.
This lead me to a conclusion that though it is cliche, it is true - the only thing constant in this world is change and this is what has happened to this publication.
According to Vivian Schiller, the New Republic seems to be going on the right direction and she looks forward to see them after a year if they were able to survive the game.
As for me, I may be a part of the milennial group (no age information to be divulged hahaha!) but I still am struggling to cope with the internet. At times, I also try to resist it (because you also need to filter what you read right --- now this thought grants another blogpost don't you think?!) and rely on what has been printed on newspapers but when news about a plane crash or an event has taken place and you really, really want to get information about it - you end up chewing up all the news the internet has to offer (admit it! You are nodding with me).
Makes me wonder if in the next few years, are we going to see the decline of printed materials being published? or will it survive and emerge as a winner after all?
Time will only tell.
