I have begun reading my book for the report: Losing the News: The Future of the News That Feeds Democracy by Alex Jones. From what I have read so far, one of his main arguments is that the explosion of digital media and new information sources is one of the main processes that is driving newspapers to bankruptcy. These new sources are coupled with new sites like craigslist, which take away one of newspapers main sources of revenue in the classified ads. Jones argues that because of this, the core of investigative news is being driven away. He says in one line that the new media of the internet could potentially help....but he leaves it at that and doesn't give it much more consideration.
But I disagree. Yes, the majority of people would rather read soft news on Yahoo, but for those informed citizens who really want information, the internet is a great tool for it places multiple sources of information at their fingertips free of cost. A person can read about the unrest in Libya from sources in Libya, major newspapers online, and the US government. Digital media in this sense allows for more citizens to learn about the world and how it affects their democracy.
Where I do agree with Jones is when it comes to news that hold those in power accountable, it has been the newspapers that have been doing the legwork. They are the ones who pay reporters and journalists full salaries to track down the important news stories and spend the amount of time necessary to obtain all the details. With newspapers slashing their staff to try and survive, losing these reporters and journalists is something that online and digital media cannot replace.
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