Kiyoshi Martinez - nerdlusus blog the geek wants out

Two weeks later, reflecting back at the AngryJournalist.com experiment

It’s been two weeks since I announced the launch of AngryJournalist.com and since that time the site has exceeded every expectation I held for it. However, it comes with a mixed feelings about its so-called success, and I still see no solution for the problems that plague the journalism industry.

In just half a month, the site has received more than 1,000 responses — some well-written, others no so much — from journalists or other observers of the industry at a rate of almost 100 per day. Additionally, the site has more than 53,000 page views and more than 28,000 unique visitors according to StatCounter. While traffic has declined from the initial boom, I’m predicting in the range of at least 1,000 to 3,000 page views a day from now on. Additionally, the site has been linked to by dozens of blogs — big and small, for which I’m grateful — and I’m still seeing lots of referrals from Facebook, del.icio.us, and webmail accounts.

I don’t know everyone’s motivation for visiting the site, but as the site’s seen a great deal of “success,” I’m growing somewhat depressed and more concerned than before about journalism as an industry. It’s been pointed out a few times on the site by commenters that this site shouldn’t have to exist or be so popular. I have to agree.

I know that people’s complaints about their bosses, job, wages, etc., aren’t unique or new in journalism, or in the American workplace in general. But this doesn’t mean that those in the industry should be brush aside or ignore these frustrations. While I believe we’re at the most exciting time in the history of journalism with the Internet stimulating its advancement to new heights, we’re also seeing it come under attack from multiple fronts trying to destroy it. Worst of all, many of these are seemingly suicidal, self-inflicted wounds.

Here are some general observations that I’ve noticed from the commenters so far. Obviously, this is by no means exhaustive:

1.) Damn the man
This could be a variety of arrangements. Editors, publishers, management, executives, etc. That’s where I’m finding a lot of commenters point their fingers. They’re looking for better leadership and some accountability, not just hot air and new directives from a memo full of buzz words.

2.) A bad job market
Layoffs, hiring freezes, trouble breaking in, low-pay. It’s been said repeatedly, “you don’t go into journalism for the money,” and it’s evident to me that journalists know this. This isn’t the problem. The problem is that salaries are so low that it makes it financially stressful to be in journalism.

3.) Unfair workload
It’s not that journalists are opposed to learning new technologies and being involved in new media, but it’s a problem when staff is too few and the work is too much — often without overtime. Add to this beat consolidation when colleagues leave and no one new is hired and you end up burning out those who would like to do more, but can’t because they’re treading water to stay on top of everything for the print edition.

4.) Poor education/training
Complaints from college journalists seem to come from the fact that they’re being taught about the past, not the future of the news business by professors who haven’t realized the full effect of the Internet’s dynamic effect on news consumption. Also, there’s an enormous sense of selling young journalists on a sense of idealism, but with very little acknowledgment of how things actually work as the industry declines.

5.) Misunderstanding of roles
Different positions don’t understand each other and the difficulties of each of their roles. I get a sense that lots of people feel like others disrespect them and what they contribute. It’s very divisive and not unified in newsrooms, where job titles wall people off.

6.) Rise of advertorial
As papers move to go more local and find more ways to target local advertising dollars, it’s dumping more work on journalists to fill these special sections or pander to these businesses. What journalist wouldn’t be angry about this?

7.) Waste of talent
Bad story assignments and moving away from the public service and watchdog role of journalism also has many upset. Instead of focusing on what journalists think would be substantive, sub-par and feel-good stories are pushed. It’s as if all the editors got the hyperlocal memo, but missed the point on what that’s supposed to really mean. For some, this kind of work is insulting their abilities.

I think the most heartbreaking realization I’ve had while reading all the comments on the site is that so many are angry about the state of journalism, the one career that many thought could make them happy, and not having the power to make things better. I think the death of the American journalist’s dream is the root of this, and it’s worth being as mad as hell about. The unfortunate thing is that no one knows what’s next or how to fix it all.

Technorati Tags: angryjournalist.com, journalism, media, newspaper, blog, job, culture

While I cannot fault your observations, your conclusion is overly pessimistic. There is definitely a shift happening. And no one knows where it will end up. But that’s exactly why it’s exciting.

An industry in turmoil neither renders good journalists obsolete, nor changes the fact that the public wants to be informed.

I’m confident that the talent and passion and drive of journalists for “the public service and watchdog role of journalism” will find a sustainable outlet elsewhere.

I know I’m not the only one out there excited and passionate about making that happen.

As a former editor/reporter who sees the local small town rag full of attaboys and surface-skimming, non-controversial writing, I would dearly love to start a paper that digs out the truth. Sadly, I have not the financial resources nor the interest on the part of the locals to see my dream paper see the light of day.
Could it be that as consolidated schools (empires) have been a failure and consolidated newspapers (also empires) have failed us, that the well-managed and staffed local paper is what will thrive? I give you Asheville NC’s Mountain Xpress as an example.
Maybe the way to look at resolving some of the issues the staff complains of is from the bottom up instead of top down?

[…] you feel how angry this old fart is? From AngryJournalist.com with thanks to Kiyoshi.  Can we have permalinking to each entry with comments please? Then we can console these miserable […]

Kiyoshi,

What’s the possibility of dating the comments? It would be interesting to change, or not, over time.

Permalinking comments will be a feature I add “soon.” I didn’t feel it was necessary at the time when I first created the site, but I’m looking into it now. Thank for the feedback.

Martinez kun:
Cool, necessary site.
Who are you, maaan?

Thank you for creating this site. I read it nearly every day and it is equal parts guilty pleasure and desperately needed reassurance that other journalists out there feel as angry, unsettled and ill-treated as I do.

Your reflection on two-weeks’ worth of rants is spot on. I couldn’t articulate those truths half as well as you did.

Thank you, really.