American journalism has stayed constant for the last 300 years. Something happens, someone puts a story about it together and the users read, watch or listen to the story. It’s communication. It’s simple.
However, over the past 20 years, technology has changed the once stable world of journalism. There are new ways to tell a story and it is because of the collection and manipulation of data. Data has always been collected for stories, but by allowing people to interact with that once untouchable data, the journalistic relationship changes. Data allows for the reader or user to change the story into something that means something to them. That is the amazing thing about it all. A typical story in a newspaper is narrowly focused. It gives you the who, what, where, when, how and sometimes the why. With data, the story can be focused on the user.
Think about a story on global warming and how rising sea levels could change the Oregon Coast line. It’s a good story, but one that does not totally engage with people who live in Houston, Boston, Hamburg or Dover. Data focused stories extend the reach of a traditional story. Maybe the story was set up to talk about the Oregon Coast line, but through the use of data and interactive graphics, the user may have the ability to see how global warming can effect their town and their life.
It’s about making it matter to the reader or user. It allows the reader to ask – how does this subject effect me? The story with the data can help to answer that question. It creates engagement between journalist and user. It totally changes the journalistic game. It is no longer a one-sided institution and through the use and presentation of data, a newspaper can open up the possibilities for the user. It becomes interactive for the journalist and the user.
Because of this shift in the journalist tectonic plates, journalists need to learn to think differently than the status quo. There is a need to understand that journalism is not only about getting the story correct and out by deadline, but it’s about how can this story interact with readers and users. I think students need to still learn the basic journalism rules and best practices. However, it’s time to start moving those students into understanding technology and how it helps them tell the story. Not every student needs to be an bad-ass programmer, but they need to know how to do it and the basic nuts and bolts of it. It’s time to stop teaching full semester courses on topics that are no longer employment opportunities such as feature writing and it’s time to start teaching design, programming, social media practices and “think tank” type courses. The tools have changed and students need to be given the proper tools to succeed.
If this is going to happen, curriculum and teaching practices need to be updated in the college setting. I understand that the pillars of journalism need to be taught, but they need to reflect the changing journalism environment. Colleges cannot ignore that the industry is changing. It does no good to blame anyone for the problems at this point, but courses need to reflect the changes. The best way to respond to the crisis is to develop students into journalists who can function in the changing world and are taught how to think beyond the traditional framework. College programs should take this as a challenge and produce journalist/problem solvers. On the same side, journalism programs and computer science programs need to begin to work together. There needs to be a common bond between the two. It is providing new employment opportunities to both sets of students. This is what college is about…right? Preparing students with the right tools to be successful in new exciting ways.
This is all easy to talk about having been on both sides of this argument. It is the students fresh out of college who don’t have the skills to even start their career, that is concerning piece of this whole thing. If the next generation of journalists do not have the pieces to survive and be successful, there is not a ton of hope for the industry.
I am reminded of something a musician once told me. ”Before every renaissance period, there has to be a dark age.” Maybe the journalism world needs to enter a complete dark age in order for change and evolution to occur.
