When it comes to news, there are endless ways to access your sources; this includes anything from the internet, to newspapers, and even smart phone applications. With these limitless possibilities, saturation of the so-called “news market” can occur. This tsunami of information causes the average consumer to become unreceptive and unwilling to absorb information, whether it is important or not. This response has caused some problems for journalists in keeping their readers interested and coming back for more.
A journalist’s job, in my eyes, is to deliver valuable, easy-to-read information to their consumers. In this struggle to keep their readers eyes, they seem to be doing just about everything but their job. The challenge of keeping their customers is turning these professionals away from what they do best: write good stories. According to Bree Nordenson’s article “Overload!”, “news organizations need to reevaluate their role in the information landscape and reinvent themselves to better serve their consumers”. I could not agree with this statement any more. Focusing on business and less on their readers may seem to help in the moment, but certainly hurts in the long run. Readers want what is important, not a bunch of useless content that fills up space; the internet already gives us enough of that.
The overload we face day in and day out is mentally and visually exhausting. What we really need is someone who can make it all clear and simplify what we want to know when it comes to news, current events, and such. There is so much information available for consumer eyes, but no one cares to go out of their way to find it anymore. Journalists and other news gathering organizations can make a difference and get the consumer engaged and excited about what is out there. It may take some more work, but in the end, it may be what it takes for them to stick around in the competitive environment they work in.