Dead, Schmead: An exciting time to be a journalist

Erin Rosa, a freelancer based in Colorado, recently wrote this article for the Columbia Journalism Review. In it, Rosa managed to salvage some of the spirit that still remains in young journalists, despite the numerous beatings by the profession and its naysayers.

“The Internet is the primary medium for news content, and it is already leading to a new and inclusive form of journalism rooted in public participation,” writes Rosa.

This “dramatic power shift”, whereby the new media is gaining relevance in a increasingly connected world and the public’s role as tipster and civic journalist is more important than ever, not only makes journalism a more “egalitarian” profession, says Rosa, but it can also make you a better journalist.

“This new kind of journalism, based on old-fashioned reporting but propelled by public participation and rooted in the inclusive nature of the Web, will continue to thrive as newsmakers begin to see information as less of a commodity and more of a continuing dialog with their audience,” she writes.

So, can the public save journalism? According to Erin Rosa, only if we let it.