The assembled panelists disagreed on a range of press-related issues at George Mason University, ranging from the popularity of local news and the quality of newspapers, to the demand for in-depth reporting and the staying power of venerable journalism operations. However, one thing was clear: journalism is changing.
The College of Humanities and Social Sciences hosted a panel, entitled “Whatever Happened to Journalism,” on Tuesday, Oct. 25 in the Johnson Center. The panel featured Mason professor and Washington Post business columnist Steven Pearlstein, NBC Washington’s Angie Goff and Fox News Channel’s Juan Williams. Kathleen deLaski, formerly with ABC and NBC News and currently on the Mason Board of Visitors, moderated the discussion. The event was free and open to students, faculty, staff and the public, and drew an audience of about 50 people.
The panelists found themselves frequently arguing opposing viewpoints.
Williams said dwindling resources are prompting newspapers to scale back their reporting operations, dumping investigative stories in favor of quicker, easier pieces.
“There is much less digging,” Williams said. “Fewer editors are approving long-term investigative projects.”
Pearlstein said this was not the case, and that investigative reporting is still very much evolving.
“There is no dearth of investigative reporting, and the death of journalism is overstated” Pearlstein said. “If there was someone running for president, and there were skeletons in [his/her] closet, the revelations would still come out.”
The panelists discussed the survival of journalism, and how publications would likely move into the future. One way news agencies are trying to attract more followers is through the use of social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. This is Goff’s area of expertise; she regularly blogs and uses social media findings in on-air stories.
Goff said that news organizations can build two-way relationships with their audiences by providing social media access into their work. Audiences benefit from the extra access to a journalist’s expertise. Both sides benefit from the audience feedback and the extra eyes vetting the stories.
“It is still one huge experiment,” Goff conceded. “But I’m able to look for content that can elevate the big story of the morning.”
Goff said she feels no panic in the newsroom, even as journalism opportunities contract. Local news is in demand, she said, and she continues to look for ways to enrich her stories with social media contributions.
“People want their local news,” she said. “They want it quick, they want it fast, but they also want it right. We’re working to find the right mixture.”
The media professionals on the panel all recognize that journalism is moving into the next era of technology and productivity. As the panelists said, the industry isn’t quite there yet, but there is still reason for hope.
“Desperation? Yes,” Pearlstein said. “Resignation? No.”