American journalism is rapidly changing in this day and age, most media conglomerates are downsizing the news departments and getting their news from wire services and other sources. Leonard Downie Jr. and Michael Schudson stated in their article The Reconstruction of American Journalism that “American journalism is at a transformational moment, in which the era of dominant newspapers and influential networks news divisions is rapidly giving way to one in which the gathering and distribution of news is more widely dispersed”. With reporting becoming more collaborative, news gatherers can range anywhere from freelance journalists, university faculty members, students, and citizens.
One example of American journalism changing is how cable news network CNN has gotten rid of its investigative journalism department. This example was brought to my attention by an assignment for another class that had me watch an episode of The Daily Show that interviewed CNN’s ex-investigative journalist Kaj Larsen; who would go undercover to various locations to get hard-hitting stories that most journalists wouldn’t have been able to get. During this interview they also interviewed a CNN CEO, who stated that they no longer had a need for investigative journalists when they could just get all their news from wire services or news sources overseas. This has taken away from accountability journalism, because the journalist is not going directly to the source and verifying the details; this is also taking away jobs from journalists by outsourcing to other news sources. American journalism is constantly changing and who knows where it will be in the future, but hopefully the essential elements of credible, original, and independent news reporting is preserved.