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By Deanna Ferrante

INTRODUCTION Unlike fictional superhero Clark Kent, most journalists dont have a secret crime fighting alter ego that will lead them to hot, new story. It takes time and effort to gather sources, investigate, and dig deep inside information to capture what has really happened in the world around us. In comic books, the only thing you need to find a great pitch is super strength or x-ray vision. But in reality, publishing in the news industry can be a difficult and dangerous venture. Ever since the printing press was first invented in the 15th century, journalism has played a pivotal role throughout society. The very foundations of our democracy are set up by the liberties free press and reporting offer. Our society depends on journalists to identify problems, inform the public, and uncover new perspectives that might have otherwise gone unseen. Publishing in the industry has changed drastically throughout history, and some of the most radical changes have come with the onslaught of new technology developed in the 21st century. Now, when consumers want to get a heads up on that days breaking news, they dont have to wait for the news program on their televisions or even step outside to pick up the paper from the doormat. They can simply pull out a smartphone, laptop or tablet and be instantly connected to thousands of events from across the globe. A reader might scroll through their Facebook newsfeed and come across an article about the war in Iraq. Or, they might receive a Twitter notification informing them about a robbery that happened just a few miles away from home. It is our job, as journalists, to understand and adapt to the way people receive their news. We are, essentially, messengers. When we see an injustice, an oddity, or just an interesting piece of information, it is our obligation to ensure that the public has the opportunity to see it as well.

How the News Reporting Industry Has Changed

Shutdown of Newspapers and the Shift to Online Journalism
Newspapers are a huge part of the publishing business. According to the jobfinder website Wetfeet.com, the traditional print media accounts for 40 percent of the industrys revenue. But, after the recession in 2008, many newspapers across the country took a hit. In an article for American Journalism Review, Rachel Smolkin describes just a few of the news organizations that suffered during the economic crisis. Popular publications like The Rocky Mountain News, in print for 150 years in Denver, and Seattle Posts Intelligencer both stopped producing hard-copy versions of their papers in 2009. Other major news brands filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, including the Tribune Co., which owns popular publications like The Los Angeles Times and The Chicago Tribune.
Extra! Extra! Read all about it!

Many more newspapers were forced to downsize, laying off many of their reporters and cutting their editorial staffs. It seemed like the coming of the apocalypse in the news industry, as organizations scrambled to stay afloat in an unforgiving economy. News companies also had to deal with a tremendous loss in advertisement revenue. Much of that loss was due to a shift from print to digital advertising. In fact, according to Mary Kissel from TheGuardian.com, between 2005 and 2013, print advertising fell 50 percent as businesses moved to explore the opportunities offered on the web. The problem many newspapers face today isnt the loss of their print editions. Newspapers will continue to survive, even out of print, as established sources of the news online. Now, they must find a way to make money through digital avenues, a

Bob Woodward There are few reporters as revered as Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, The Washington Post journalists who conducted much of the original reporting that exposed the Watergate scandal. Their investigation was pivotal for the publics understanding of the event, and is often cited as one of the greatest acts of journalism in history. Woodward still works for the Post as an associate editor. Even as newspapers decline, we must keep in mind reporters like Woodward and follow the example they have set. We must continue to be the watchdogs of society. Even if the tools with which we use to report change, our own investigative motivation must not waver.

4 problem made all the more difficult by consumers unwilling to pay. For years, newspapers offered up their Check This Out: content free of charge online. One notable In this video segment, Woodward reviews his tips for exception to this norm was the Wall Street Journal, investigative reporting, a skill every journalist which has had a paywall in place since 1996. When should learn to master. it was first erected, critics balked at the idea that http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVKGUctuoXE people would give money to access what they considered free information. After the recession, however, news organizations began to see the error in their ways. In print, most of the newspapers revenues, around 80 percent, come from advertisements, according to James Fallows from The Atlantic. Ads were crucial in sections that could target a specific niche, like travel, cars, or home and lifestyle. But, with the onslaught of websites like eBay and Craigslist, newspapers lost the business of advertisers looking to target specific audiences. News organizations also have to compete with other online news sources. According to Nat Ives in an article for Advertising Age, websites like Yahoo and AOL outsource much of their news content to networks of cheap freelancers. Newspaper sites share of digital ad revenue fell to 11.4 percent last year, and is expected to continue to dwindle. So what does this mean for the potential journalist? It indicates that we must begin to adapt to the online news world. A journalist must be a great writer, but to truly become established in the industry, he or she must also be able to navigate the changing media landscape. To do this, a journalist must seek out new media. Start a blog, learn how to produce and code digital layouts, or upload audio and video with your stories online.
Filtering the News A new technology has been developed in recent years that will sift through information online and track which commercial websites we visit most frequently. This technology is mostly used by ad agencies, but recently has been employed by news companies like Yahoo News and Google News, according to Eli Pariser, president of the board of MoveOn.org. Pariser claims that when two different Internet users type in a place or event, like Egypt, into one of the two websites previously mentioned, they will get drastically different results depending on what they generally view online. And now, even newspapers like The New York Times and The Washington Post are thinking of implementing the technology on their websites. Should we, as journalists, play a part in personalizing the news? Isnt it our job to keep the public informed, even on topics they might not think are important?

But, even in the ever-growing digital age, journalists must always remember the roots by which they first learned to write and report. Nothing can take place of good reporting. We cannot forget the legacy left behind by print newspapers. Even if information is just the click of a button or a Google search away, we must continue to uphold the investigative curiosity with which print reporters in the past have always prided themselves with. Even if we deliver the news in a different format, the principles we used with pen and paper still apply when we switch to a keyboard.

The Impact of Social Media and Modern Technology

When I start my day, one of the first things I do is scroll through my Facebook newsfeed. I check Twitter for tweets I missed while asleep, and look through any Instagram photos my friends have posted. I browse Pinterest and Tumblr over breakfast, and continue to use my smartphone even after I leave the house. How many social media networks are you currently subscribed to? Five? Six? Social media and digital technology have revolutionized the way people communicate, and therefore, how people receive and consume the news. Journalists must pay close attention to these changes, or we risk falling behind in an industry that is dependent on whats fresh and new.
Check This Out: In this video segment, Eli Pariser discusses the filter bubbles employed online and the dangerous potential they have for creating an ignorant society. http://www.ted.com/talks/eli_pariser_beware_online_ filter_bubbles.html

A report on digital media and news consumption from The Pew Research Centers Project for Excellence in Journalism found that a majority of Americans now receive their news from at least one digital, web-based device. The largest percentage of people use their laptops or desktop computers, but a growing number are starting to use smartphones, tablets, or a combination of all three to receive their news. The report also found that the percentage of traffic to official news websites that comes from social media websites has increased 57 percent since 2009.
The Dot-Com Phenomenon How Blogs are Impacting Journalism In a recent court case, the Ninth Circuit federal court has found that bloggers and journalists have equivalent rights when it comes to the First Amendment. This precedent was established by the Gertz case in 1974, which essentially said people could write false information about private figures as long as it wasnt published negligently. The Supreme Court has ruled that, With the advent of the Internet and the decline of print and broadcast media . . . the line between the media and others who wish to comment on political and social issues becomes far more blurred. So, in essence, bloggers are seen as journalists in the eyes of our countrys justice system. For more information, check out: http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archi ve/2014/01/us-court-bloggers-arejournalists/283225/

News organizations are adapting to the way their audiences are processing the news. Some journalists have begun to use Twitter to get a jump on the days hottest news stories. According to Paul Farhi from the American Journalism Review, the website allows journalists to go around PR representatives and directly confront a problem or official. Plus, a journalist can stay up to date on a story as soon as it happens by tracking trending tags. When a building in New York City collapsed, The New York Times sent out a tweet alerting its followers it was looking for eyewitnesses to the event. Twitter provided a way for the Times reporters to try and find reliable sources for their story in a fast and extensive way they couldnt have reached by using traditional methods.

Meet the Press

Sree Sreenivasan, the digital officer for Columbia University, conducted a study in 2012 and found that 100 news companies in the country had a designated editor for social media. In 2013, that number almost doubled, reaching 184 news organizations according to the Pew Research Centers Project for Excellence in Journalism. Of course, there are a few caveats for journalists using social media. Once a post is out on the Internet, it can be difficult or almost impossible to take back. On a news organizations website, a story can be fixed or a correction put out. On Twitter and Facebook, these corrections often never become as widespread as the original post. The wrong information becomes re-tweeted and shared, which leads to a misinformed public and embarrassment for the journalist and the news agency he or she works for. For many journalists, getting an article published before their competition is their top priority. But, is publishing first really worth damaging your own reputation? Social media and new technology can be an asset to journalists, especially when it comes to drawing attention to an article we have written. But, we also have to take care not to throw away our ethical standards just because we are not following traditional methods. A journalists first responsibility is to seek the truth, and we cannot let new platforms change that core obligation.
Richard Brunson Richard Brunson has worked for a number of prestigious news organizations, including the Orlando Sentinel, where he is currently working part-time as an editor. He also teaches at the University of Central Florida for the Nicholson School of Communications journalism program. Why did you pick the journalism field? Ive had an interest in news since I was a child. I grew up in a household where we got the daily newspaper and watched the evening news and talked about it around the dinner table. My dad was a military cop and my mom was a school teacher, so the news affected their worlds, and they brought it into my world. I saw the connection between the news and life, and I quickly became interested in it. We had a lot less stupid, celebrity fluff news when I was growing up. When you picked up your newspaper, it was about what was going on in your community. It amazes me that people go through life in a bubble of ignorance. Which journalist would you say has influenced you the most? Bob Schieffer from CBS news. Im a big fan of his work. His news philosophy is simple; you have to be there and you have to tell the story simply and in a language people can understand, so they know why the story is important to them. I love that news philosophy. What was the first thing you ever had published? After high school, I wrote a news article in the Valencia Campus newspaper, the Econ Echo. At UCF, I wrote for the Central Florida Future, and I got an internship at the Orlando Sentinel. I worked at Charisma magazine, a religious magazine I heard about through my church, and they published some of my interviews. My first job was for the Sanford Herald. Then I went to the Daytona Beach News Journal before I spent 10 years at the Tampa Tribune. I ended up at the Orlando Sentinel. In total, Ive spent 30 years in the industry.

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What are your thoughts on the current age of digital media? Do you think this new technology has helped or hurt the industry? I think its helped. More people are reading the news because they have more devices on which to do it. The news has more impact, which is the upside. But, the web is a very visceral media, so sometimes we spend too much time chasing stories that dont really matter. If you could go back in time and cover one story or breaking news event, what would it be? I think I would have loved to have been at the Berlin wall when it fell. The reason I say that is because it went up the year I was born. It was a great symbol of oppression. To see it fall in the face of the forward march of freedom, it wouldve been cool to witness that. What is your opinion on the future of the journalism industry? Do you have any predictions as to how news reporting will change in the next ten years? I think were in for more change. I think change is here to stay. The people who will be successful are the people who will hold onto their core journalistic values, but find a way to take those to new platforms. Do you have any advice for prospective journalists trying to get their work published? Develop a conscience and get experience. Nothing beats experience. Keep your empathy and remember the importance of what you do and why its important.

Future Predictions for the News Industry

The future of the news reporting industry isnt exactly sunny, but at the very least its prospects are partly cloudy. According to CNNMoney.com, long-running, but suffering news publications like The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, and Newsweek were all brought under new management in late 2013. According to Ravi Somaiya of The New York Times, Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos purchased the Post, and he has begun to steer the company into expanding its digital arena. At the end of 2013, the job market for potential journalists was also improving. A survey conducted by the University of Georgia found that 66 percent of journalists that graduated in 2012 were able to find a full-time job only six to eight months after leaving school.

Median annual salaries for journalists also rose in 2012, climbing from $31,000 in 2011 to $32,000, according to CNNMoney.com. But journalists might want to hold back on their celebrations. The United States Department of Labor said in a report in early 2014 that jobs as reporters and news correspondents would be dwindling in the future. The report claimed that the job outlook for 2020 looks grim, with a contraction in employment of about 14 percent, contributed to newspapers loss of ad revenue. Not only that, but according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, the median annual salary for reporters is still well below the average for all U.S. 2012 graduates, who make around $42,666 annually. But, as the industry continues to expand into the digital sphere, it will be up to the individual reporter to make a name for him or herself. Even if newspapers decline in circulation as revenue dwindles, we can still adapt to the changing news landscape by holding onto the foundations we have built as reporters.

8 When asked about the future of journalism, Meredith Morris, a journalism professor at the University of Central Florida, said that journalists would just have to learn to adapt to how the industry is changing. I think publications need to embrace the technology and learn how to use it for their advantage. I think its inevitable; its whats happening. For journalism to survive and be the source for news and information, it needs to learn how to use it. Morris is right. Journalists will have to embrace the changes that are now an almost constant occurrence in the field. If we dont, we risk the chance that our consumers, the public hungry for an update on whats happening right this second, will turn to other platforms to keep informed.

Conclusion
Journalism is not an easy profession. Becoming a published writer can take years of hard work, and even then, there is no guarantee you will succeed. No, journalism is more of a calling than an occupation. A journalist doesnt write for the money or the fame. He or she does it to inform, to shine a light into a dark corner of society that has gone unobserved for too long. Its not an easy path to walk down. For every Bob Woodward, there is another inconspicuous reporter, lost in a vast sea of other writers competing for a taste of the publics attention. For every article you will have published, there will be another editor tearing down your pitch, telling you no, this just isnt good enough. Its hard to hear criticism about something youve thoroughly researched and meticulously planned. But, you cant let the fears of anonymity or negativity keep you from a story.

It is the responsibility of reporters to be aggressive, as long as they are fair and accurate. Bob Woodward

If you have an idea, run with it. Follow every lead, interview every possible source, and uncover every possible detail. As a journalist, you are given free reign to poke your nose into whatever you find odd, out of place, or unusual. Use that power and manipulate it into an article or feature that anyone can read and understand.

So, now is the time to begin. Start writing about the world around you. Write about your neighbors, your community or your country. Write about the new ice cream parlor in your town or civil unrest in a foreign country. Report the facts. Get the details. Every day, every second, something new and exciting is happening; it is up to us to make sure it is reported. We might not be the ones making history, but were the reason people will remember when history has been made.

Works Cited Conboy, Martin, and John Steel. "The Future Of Newspapers." Journalism Studies 9.5 (2008): 650-661. Communication & Mass Media Complete. Web. 2 Feb. 2014. Edmonds, Rick, Emily Guskin, Amy Mitchell, and Mark Jurkowitz. "Newspapers: By the Numbers." The State of the News Media 2013. The Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism, 7 May 2013. Web. 2 Feb 2014. Fallows, James. "How to Save the News." The Atlantic. The Atlantic Monthly Group, 11 May 2010. Web. 2 Feb 2014. Farhi, Paul. "The Twitter Explosion." American Journalism Review 31.3 (2009): 26-31. Communication & Mass Media Complete. Web. 2 Feb. 2014. "Full Biography." Bob Woodward. FlooiD Interactive. Web. 2 Feb 2014. <http://bobwoodward.com>. "Industry Overview: Journalism and Publishing." Wetfeet. Wetfeet, LLC, 3 Dec. 2012. Web. 9 Feb. 2014. Ives, Nat. "Mounting Web Woes Pummel Newspapers." Advertising Age 81.26 (2010): 6. Communication & Mass Media Complete. Web. 2 Feb. 2014. Kissel, Mary. "The decline of print doesn't mean the end of journalism." theguardian. Guardian News and Media Limited, 29 Oct 2013. Web. 2 Feb 2014. Meyer, Robinson. "U.S. Court: Bloggers are Journalists." Atlantic. 21 Jan. 2014: n. page. Web. 2 Feb. 2014. Mitchell, Amy, Tom Rosenstiel, and Leah Christian. "Mobile Devices and News Consumption: Some Good Signs for Journalism." The State of the News Media 2012. The Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism, n.d. Web. 2 Feb 2014. Nethero, Amanda. 2013. Photograph. UCFTODAY, Orlando. Web. 2 Feb 2014. <http://today.ucf.edu/meet-professor-who-returned-to-teach-where-he-learned-his-craft/>. N.d. Photograph. Superman Through the Ages! Web. 2 Feb 2014. <http://theages.ac/fortress/moreimages/hotlead.gif>. Pariser, Eli. "When the Internet Thinks It Knows You." New York Times 22 May 2011, n. pag. Web. 2 Feb. 2014. Sasseen, Jane, Amy Mitchell, and Kenny Olmstead. "Digital: As Mobile Grows Rapidly, the Pressures on News Intensify." The State of the News Media 2013. The Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism, n.d. Web. 2 Feb 2014.

10 Shapiro, Michael. "Open For Business." Columbia Journalism Review 48.2 (2009): 29-35. Communication & Mass Media Complete. Web. 2 Feb. 2014. Smolkin, Rachel. "Cities Without Newspapers." American Journalism Review 31.3 (2009): 16-25. Communication & Mass Media Complete. Web. 9 Feb. 2014. Somaiya, Ravi. "Major Expansion Ahead at The Washington Post." New York Times 30 Jan. 2014, New York ed. B7. Print. Zhu, Wenqian. "Journalist jobs are picking up." CNNMoney. Cable News Network, 15 Aug 2013. Web. 2 Feb 2014. 2010. Photograph. Knight Science Journalism Tracker. Web. 2 Feb 2014. <http://theragblog.blogspot.com/2010/03/robert-jensen-collapse-of-journalismthe.html>.

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The Rhetorical Situation

Subject: Publishing in todays modern journalism market Occasion: As a journalism major, Im interested in learning about the current market in the news industry and the implications the current status has for not only myself, but other students who one day hope to report the news. There has also been a large shift in the industry in more recent years, with many publications being shut down or reduced. And yet, there has been an explosion of national and global events that warrant the publics attention. Journalists are still needed to keep society informed on the changes and tensions around the world. Audience: Future journalists or news reporters looking to find out how to break into the industry. College-educated students or recent graduates who are trying to find a place in a news industry that is constantly changing and adapting. Assumptions: - Broad knowledge about news organizations in general, such as the different types (radio, tv, print) - An idea of how journalists write stories (gathering data, interviewing sources, etc.) Purpose: I want the reader to become informed about the current job market for prospective journalists and the types of changes the industry has recently undergone. This report will shed light on particular changes to the industry, highlight the steps a person must take in order to break out in the industry, and provide predictions on how the future of journalism will look. After completing this report the reader will know exactly how the journalism industry has changed and how they can prepare to become published in the modern news market.

Constraints:
Style of Voice: As an academic report, my style of voice will have to be more authoritative than familiar. I have to find a way to connect to readers in tone and style, while still keeping an air of formality that proves I am knowledgeable about the subject in the report. Plus, as this is a report on news reporting, which uses an impartial voice, readers could expect the same type of objectivism from a journalist writing about the industry. But, as a journalist like the intended audience for the report, I will have to balance how familiar I can be with the informed, credible style that an academic report usually follows. Diction: While future journalists are the intended audience for this report, others interested in the topic of news reporting might also read it. Because of this, some jargon that journalists use might have to be omitted or explained in the report.

12 Length: The outline of the assignment says the report should be between 2,500 and 3,000 words. This limits how much can be said in the report itself. Plus, because Im putting in inserts (like reporter profiles and How-Tos) I will have to balance the length of the text in the body of the report with the amount of text I use in each insert in order to stay inside the length requirement. Use of Evidence: There are a ton of different resources for journalism, and a lot of them are outdated in an industry that is constantly changing. My choices will be limited by evidence that is modern enough to apply to the current market, and I will have to find sources that reflect the most current changes in the industry. The evidence could be outdated or too broad to use, as most statistics cover the broad topic of all journalistic publications, not just those that pertain to news reporting. Genre: As a report, I will be limited to the format and layout I use when writing. I will need to keep to the right academic requirements when citing sources and when placing sources inside the body of the report itself. Also, because its a report my choices are limited in the type of media I can use in the report, like I cant show videos, I can only provide links to find them online. Ethos: Im relatively new to the journalism field, so this could limit my own credibility. I havent had anything published yet, so this limits how much of my own experience I can include in the report. I will have to rely on other sources, so my choices will be limited to reliable sources I find online or in person in order to add credibility to the information in my report. Audience experience: The intended audience for the report is students or graduates in the journalism field. The audience should already know a lot about the industry, but they might not be aware of the more recent changes, as those arent always covered in college courses. I will be limited in the information I share, as some of it the audience will already know about. Audience disposition: Some journalists are more skeptical about the biases in the industry than others. I will be limited in what sources I can use, as some people view certain news companies as biased, and I will have to make choices that specifically highlight the objective nature of the news.