Many of my friends lost their jobs in journalism over the past decade, and when we get together, we reminisce about our rah-rah days. I do not side, however, with those who believes that the primary reason for the loss of journalism jobs over the past decade is because of the bad decisions of newspaper owners. Nope. These changes were inevitable.
Newspapers have struggled economically since the 1960s. Now we’re just seeing the dramatic death rattles.
It was sad for horse shoe makers when cars took off. Technology and capitalism result in constant change. Only the nimble survive.
Pay walls won’t support general interest journalism. I read the NYT and LAT for free by using my Chrome Incognito window. I made my living from blogging from 1997-2007, but then had to retrain for a new profession (teaching Alexander Technique). Now I write on the side. Journalism was my first love but it’s not viable economically any more for many of us.
