The Death of Journalism (Gawker Edition)

WaPo reporter Ian Shapira wrote an opinion piece about how Gawker borrowed heavily from his article about a business coach who teaches business leaders how to deal with Millennials in the workplace (she's running a racket, in my opinion, but that's another issue). He said he felt triumphant at first and then his editor told him they ripped off his story. He spent a considerable amount of time and effort reporting the story and a Gawker writer spent an hour or so cutting-and-pasting and re-wording it — generating more than 9,500 page views for Gawker.

I started thinking about all the labor that went into producing my 1,500-word article. The story wasn't Pulitzer material; it was just a reported look at one person capitalizing on angst in the workplace. With all the pontificating about the future of newspapers both in the media and in Capitol Hill hearings, I began wondering if most readers know exactly what is required to assemble a feature story for a publication such as The Post. Journalism at a major newspaper is different from what's usually required in the wild and riffy world of the Internet. And that wild world is killing real reporting -- the kind of work practiced not just by newspapers but by nonprofits, some blogs and other news outlets.

Here's Shapira's original story and here's Gawker's post about it. Anyways, something to chew on.

'Is there life after newspapers?'

The question was asked in an article in the American Journalism Review. A graphic designer at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, using a variety of sources, counted 15,000-plus job cuts from newspapers in 2008. The U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics showed payroll at newspapers decreased by 22,400 from January to October 2008. Scary stuff.

An unscientific poll conducted by the piece's author found:

• Just under 36 percent said they found a new job in less than three months. Add those who say they freelance full time, and the total jumps to 53 percent.
• Less than 10 percent say it took them longer than a year.
• Only a handful – 6 percent – found other newspaper jobs. The rest are doing everything from public relations to teaching to driving a bus and clerking in a liquor store.

The article also includes some personal anecdotes from former journalists after they left newspapers, including some who saw losing their jobs as opportunities.