There’s nothing wrong with journalism. Their business model is just broken.
This article got me thinking. WSJ Editor Claims Google Devalues Everything | Techdirt
Journalists seem to be stuck in one of two camps:
- Complaining about why their business is ruined, who’s at fault and why they need to go back to the way they were
- Documenting with the fascination of watching a long drawn out train wreck the demise of their industry with little to say except “the sky is falling”
We’ve seen small experiments in revolutionizing the business model but nothing substantial. I wonder if they’ll need to hit rock bottom before we see the real innovation.
[update] After more thinking, we have seen some innovation around Web content, aggregation, news sharing but I don’t think this is hitting the real issue. I have a feeling that we’ve yet to see the real answer to journalisms problems. Maybe I’m looking for too much.
Twitter Replies:
A_F @tacanderson Give away a free Kindle to subs - get rid of the “ball & chains” of physical delivery
kevnd @tacanderson you have hit the fundamental problem. First step for journalists - stop taking it personally - get on with a new model.