Out Of Time
"Time Inc. is eliminating nearly 300 jobs as it continues to revamp its huge portfolio of magazines such as Time, People and Sports Illustrated in an effort to adapt as readers and advertisers move to the Internet."
Time Magazine is closing Atlanta, Chicago and Los Angeles bureaus; People's DC bureau is no more. Those who recently submitted their tuition checks to journalism school can take this news in a couple of ways. For the optimists, it is simply a signal that the industry is shifting – sure, magazines are struggling, but they are trying to "invest more heavily in Internet properties." So it's not that the jobs are disappearing – just that they are changing.
And then there's the pessimistic view, which goes something along these lines: "Oh God why did I decide to be a journalist I should have just gone to law school like my dad said when I get out I'll be lucky to get a job doing PR for some dictator I mean nobody can make money off the Internet right anyway I'm totally screwed I wonder if I can get that check back ah well screw it whatever let's see if there's anything to watch on Youtube."
The truth, I'd wager, is somewhere between these two positions. Technology has changed the game in some new and exciting ways – never has it been easier to show up with a handheld camera and broadcast a story to the world, or to report news or analyze in a forum that can be accessed nearly anywhere. But these technological advances have also made a lot of journalism jobs unnecessary. If I can read national news coverage in the Washington Post or a million other outlets just by clicking over to a Web site, do I really need it in my local paper? It's no surprise that many newspapers are getting smaller and going hyperlocal – they simply can't compete when there are no longer barriers to what their audience can access. And the weekly nature of magazines designed to be a primary source of news seems increasingly ridiculous now that scoops are measured not in hours but minutes.
There's no doubt that the Internet will create new jobs and new opportunities for some – Amanda Congdon is a good example. But the traditional paths up the journalism ladder seem to be disappearing, and it's nearly impossible to have any real sense of what the future holds.