Journalism Evolving to Survive, or to Sell?
“If it bleeds, it leads”.
I’m not quite positive when this became the acceptable slogan of journalism, but currently 72% of all leading local newscasts begin with a crime story. But it’s not just violence that has made itself ever so prevalent in the business of news. Yes, business because that is what the “news” has become.
It has become an all out battle to who has more coverage of the Casey Anthony trial, of people treating deaths as anniversaries, and who is doing the best of keeping up with the Kardashains (which by the way Kim, that melt-down in the Times, not too hot…).
This season Thomas Robinson, yes a Jayhawk basketball player…, has received quite a bit of coverage. And yes it is mostly due to the phenomenal season he is currently involved
in, but more recently because the one-year anniversary of his mother’s death was Jan. 20. When Robinson was questioned about how he was dealing with this “anniversary” he responded in an unexpectedly interesting way. Thomas could not quite comprehend how reporters were asking him to comment about a tragedy that he lives with every day. To give a heart-felt quote they could use to spice up their sports section.
I have to give the guy credit where it counts. The “news” has become this information highway of accidents, collisions and police pullovers. We all do it, everyone stops and looks, but how much substance are we really viewing, and does anyone really walk away from the scene unharme
d?
In a recent Journalism course at the University of Missouri, one that shall remain nameless, I was told to “push the envelope”, yeah that makes sense, “ask the questions that other people don’t”, ok I can do that, and “don’t be afraid to make people uncomfortable”. Well that one I might not be so eager to run out and accomplish.
This field that I am entering in to, that I am currently building my life around, seems to be focused not on
reporting but selling. News isn’t all kittens with firemen saving them from trees, but it certainly is not all pushing families and victims to the limit to see what quote we can achieve. There is an amount of respect for humankind I feel recent journalists are lacking. But it’s the world we live in and more importantly the world we work in. If you won’t ask the weeping mother what she could have done to save her son, someone else will.
So whether it is the human nature of people needing to hear the bad of others lives, or that’s all that is offered, it’s working. Maybe it’s the readers that need to stand up for a change, so hear I go.
mollycarlino 
Molly- I like you stepping outside the sports world and commenting on this. I agree with parts of what you’re saying. I’ve long thought anniversaries were just manufactured stories by journalists. I’ve also noticed how this country seems to put more stock in them than most. Your point on Thomas Robinson dealing with pain every day of his life is right on and shows why anniversary stories might tend to trivialize important events.
Regarding asking questions that make people uncomfortable, I would just tell you to hold people accountable when it’s called for. That might require some questions they don’t want to answer. I’ve never been a fan of the ambush interview or sucker punch questions but there are times people in charge need to answer for what they’ve done or what’s happening. Journalists are in a great spot to make that happen.
As for crime, that’s an age old argument. Every market and every newsroom is different. Most of the time, though, people want to be safe and they want to know what’s out there that might put them in harm’s way. Thanks for taking the time to write a great blog entry.