It’sTougher Than It Looks

Posted on January 30, 2013 by Tommiea Jackson
This week I was intrigued by Leonard Downie Jr.’s and Michael Schudson’s article “The Reconstruction of American Journalism.” In the article they discuss their theory on how journalism is emerging like a “mutualized newspaper”.  As a journalist I see how the age of newspaper reporters and even television news  reporters in the local market are depleting. One of the questions brought up in the article was “ Why can’t television and radio make up for the loss of reporting by newspapers?” I completely agree with how the authors said funds is a big reason. I have interned at both local radio and TV news stations and through personal experience I can definitely say that money is not flowing in like it used to. As the popularity of  national broadcast programs grow, the local markets end up with the short end of the stick. These local stations work hard to create more appealing content for viewers. During my last internship, the station I was at focused on sending reporters on stories out of Orlando. These trips are not cheap. A station already has to pay for not only air time, but also travel fees, live trucks, and employees. Money is already being pulled left and right, and to hire more employees at a news station is an unnecessary expense for some station managers. They’d rather work with what they have. In my opinion I don’t think viewers or listeners truly understand what goes on behind the camera or mic. It pains me to see local radio and TV stations get scrutinized for not doing enough, even though they are given limited resources.
 
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