It’s 1:30 in the morning here in London, and I’m thinking about journalism. Why? I have no idea.
Contrary to what most Iranians think, journalism is a craft. You need to learn certain sets of rules, styles and principles in order to become a journalist. Kashki nist. There are a handful of people who are born with the gift of observation and flawless communication. But the rest of us need to pick up some basic skills in order to present something to the public in an organized, interesting way.
At the same time though, the dictionary definition of journalism and journalist is disappearing. If you’ve just got your degree in journalism, you’re in deep trouble. That’s especially true if you’re interested in print journalism. The newspaper business is going down the drain. The number of staff reporters and editors is shrinking. With so much information available online, fewer and fewer people are buying papers and more and more advertisers are migrating to the web.
In addition to financial issues, there’s also the issue of whether mainstream journalism is relevant or not. When I read the New York Times or The Economist or listen to the news, I get a lot of facts but I also feel that a lot has been left out. It’s pasteurized, predictable, polite, and politically-correct. It’s almost inhuman, a soul-less string of words. It’s certainly not satisfying.
Journalists are suffering the same fate as the clergy after the Reformation. The monopoly on news and information is breaking just like the clergy’s monopoly on god began to disappear a few centuries ago. The language of journalism is not fit for our times. It’s too limiting, formal and rigid. That’s why we tolerate — and increasingly prefer — blogs, because they are uniquely personal, human and imperfect.
Having said all that, I think journalism as a craft is not going to die completely. You still need to bring organization to a universe of information. And for that you need skill, not just intuition and enthusiasm.
Am I making sense?
