Are newspapers killing journalism?
The leaders of traditional news organizations have certainly dealt a big blow to journalism. A number of things contributed: Corporatizing news organizations, so that decisions are based on maximizing profitability, rather than improving journalism. Choosing the top decision-makers from business, rather than the ranks of journalists. The results: continual cannibalizing of newsroom staffs to meet high profit margins, thus decreasing the number of journalists, beats covered (witness the elimination of science coverage in many news organizations as well as the closing of foreign bureaus), and depth of coverage. Last year the average profit margin for newspapers was 17%. I’d be happy if my investments, my paltry investments, were getting 17%. Eventually, this cannibalization leads to collapse. Regarding the Web as a separate, adjunct profit-making venture instead of as the new dominant news and information medium. People who worked on the Web site were outsiders, they were never regarded
