This, in many ways, is what journalism has come to: Top-notch, Pulitzer-Prize winning journalists leaving traditional news organizations to work for a Web site—ProPublica.com.
Don’t misunderstand; the site’s mission—“to focus exclusively on truly important stories, stories with ‘moral force’”—is exactly why most journalists enter the business. It most certainly isn’t the pay or the hours or the notoriety.
What is sad are the reasons (more than likely) that caused some of the best investigative reporters in the business to jump ship. And we’re not talking about shabby shops either. These folks were at The LA Times, Wall Street Journal and Oregonian, to name a few.
The industry is changing. As newspapers and television stations struggle to find their footing in the digital age, it seems like some core journalistic tenants values have fallen by the wayside.
Context is sacrificed for content more times than should be. For that reason alone, I hope ProPublica not only survives but also thrives.
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2 comments:
Good post. You're absolutely right. At times I tend to believe real journalism is on its dying legs.
Ditto. We have to be very careful to stay true to our core values. And when we do, we succeed in the 'new world'.
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