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“Closing time, every new beginning Comes from some other beginning’s end” – Dan Wilson (Semisonic – “Closing Time“)
Over the past few weeks, there have been some notable hits to the world of Journalism. From the Eisners Awards removing the Comic Journalism category from its’ awards to the massive Sports Illustrated layoffs, the future of the profession of reporting has come into question.
In some eyes, the medium is extinct and/or on life support. With how the public consumes news in this digital age, a question once thought impossible has gained traction. Is Journalism dead?
In this humble writer’s opinion, the answer is No, but it needs to evolve by finding its’ way back.
One Step forward, Two Steps Backward is progress.
Confusing statement? Yes. With how much technology has evolved, it has become a challenge to keep the basic elements of the field in check without losing the foundation it has been established on. Before the boom of the internet in the 1990’s, reporting lived heavily on newspapers, radio and television. It’s where the general public went to find news locally and globally. Stories were solely built around investigating, acquiring reliable sources and facts, and most importantly: keeping impartial to opinions to preserve integrity with depicting events from the human perspective. “Stick to the facts” might be a cliche line but it is 100% truth.
In the comic sense, fans had certain publications that broke news and connected with readers on that level. Talk to most fans of that time and I will bank the majority had read an issue of “Wizard Magazine” or two.
It also allowed for key stories NOT to be ruined. As I’ve mentioned on The ODPH podcast and Turn A Page, The last great comic secret not spoiled was Thunderbolts #1 (Marvel Entertainment 1997). At this time, media consumption slowly started its’ shifting towards the internet. What was once thought to be a “flash in the pan” proved to be the start of changes that would drastically alter the stat quo of reporting.
Can anyone keep a secret?
How easy could it be? With a simple click, information is at someone’s fingertips. The public didn’t need to wait on the next day newspaper to drop. They wouldn’t have to wait for the “Evening News” or the Radio news to play. Hitting the internet, someone could easily access the information they were striving to find. More outlets and individuals joined the digital highway. Once niche became pop culture normal. This played a big factor into a shift for velocity over due diligence in certain aspects. As the playing field became (somewhat) leveled, what mattered more: the story or how fast it could get published?
Throughout the years, technology and its’ advances have skewed away from the basics of reporting. Fast forward to today. Think about this: How often do you as a reader jump on Twitter/X for a news story? How often do you see other outlets covering the same one? How many times do you check out various articles and find differences in them? Or even worse, how often to you see certain sites/people “break” news with a “hot Take” or “spoiler” without hitting key points?
Trying to tie this back to comics and one of the biggest examples of the “Velocity over Quality” issue was Void Rivals #1? With certain “media” breaking the big reveal before the book hit the LCS, it (rightfully so) drew a negative response from most fans. With hype around a book, why ruin it before allowing readers to have the moment of surprise?
LOOKING FOR COMIC REVIEWS
Granted, this type of situation happens more times than not. With the easy access of the internet and social media, how many times have spoilers been leaked from movies and Tv? Fans are one thing. Media outlets and “journalists” are another. The struggle to stay a step ahead from competition can lead others to stray away from the basics.
With the evolution of A. I. taking a greater role, this has now impacted journalism is created even more. It is easy for one to use this technology in said manner. However, there is one thing that no computer can truly grasp: The Human aspect.
HAVE YOU NOT SEEN TERMINATOR?
Bringing this all back to the original question, the public has already tipped its’ hand to this answer. Think about the places that rely on this method of reporting. Have they seen a change in their impact of the audience? How many times have they scrambled for something new or a different approach? Over time, there has been an uptick in this “causal” style of “reporting” and the audience has turned away. Why is that? Simple.
At the end of the day, people WANT honesty in their reporting. The places that go for clicks and not consistency tend to burn out or fade away like Neil Young would say. One thing technology has never mastered is the human aspect of emotion with words. Take the instance with the negative reaction to Marvel Studios “Secret Invasion” using A.I. for Art. Fans took notice and made it clear their thoughts. The same can be said here.
The public will always respect the human element in reporting. If they didn’t, why are there so many talk-shows and news programs doing well with viewership? It’s because they haven’t jumped on trends to catch a quick view or click. They follow the blueprint of basic journalism but have evolved it to fit into the digital age. More need to focus on the basics and build the connection with the audience through that.
Doing Due diligence. Sticking to facts. Being honest with facts in their own unique voice. No short cuts.
John Connor always survives the Terminator for a reason. Human elements will aways win against AI ways and other cheat methods when the proper work is put in. Journalism needs to follow that blueprint as well.
That is one guarantee that YOU, the reader, will have from us here at Nerd Initiative. Honest, factual stories and takes that spark healthy conversation Bank on it for 2024 and beyond.
Till Next time….
