If you want to see the biggest breaking story in Madison media in a long time, check this out. You may not know much about The Capital Times, but this is huge.
I'm interested to hear your thoughts on the move.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Holy cats
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10 comments:
As a student who is studying to become a writer for some sort of print media, it's really upsetting to me that the Cap Times is switching to a two-times a week publication instead of five. I think it's a really sad and honest indicator of where the future of print newspapers is headed.
Not only however, is it disappointing to see one of Madison's paper switching to a more online-only edition, it's upsetting to think about the people who will be loosing their jobs as a result of the switch. Although the Cap Times has not announced that it will be cutting jobs, it seems inevitable that a paper that will print less, will not need as many employees as it previously had.
It'll be interesting to see how they handle any cuts they do make.
I agree. I am also a student interested in writing for print media, and this makes me worry about other papers that may follow the trend.
The article says...
"The changes will result in a smaller workforce in The Capital Times newsroom and in other areas of Capital Newspapers, though the size of the change has not been finalized."
I feel worried about the number of jobs that will be left in this medium after I graduate. Perhaps we should all start thinking more about advancing in the internet aspect of the field.
Like the previous two comments said, this really is indicative of the future of the field. It makes me wonder what will happen with other newspapers. Have others made shifts like this? How long will it take for the rest of the print newspapers to follow suit?
Will there be a future for people studying to be journalists now, or will there even be space for us if cuts to staff continue?
I think this is an incredibly bold move on the part of the Cap. Times. Switching almost entirely to internet is surprising and disappointing. I think it leaves a lot of unanswered questions about the financial situation of the company and the future.
Honestly, I was really surprised that the Cap. Times was an afternoon daily paper when I first heard it a few months ago. I come from a city that has one morning paper, so I didn't even think afternoon papers still existed. It seems like ending the afternoon paper would have happened a long time ago.
That said, I am upset by the 'death' of the print edition as someone interested in reporting for print. However, I think it's a sign of what's coming and could prove to be a success. I am hopeful the Cap Times will be able to make this new initiative work. It definitely keeps students entering the field on our toes.
Journalists losing jobs is a big story. Another story is how people who don't have/want the Internet will get their news if organizations no longer provide a print version of the paper.
I really don't know how to feel about this. I mean, the internet is where news is going and the Cap Times is just following the trend. But I really get something more out of the paper when it's on paper!
Plus, this makes me really nervous about my future as a journalist. Obviously there will always be a need for news, but with dwindling press room size will there always be a need for a 105 new writers?
I too am torn by this news. What jumped out to me the most was the fact that many writers will lose their jobs. This is not only a terrible thing for those directly effected, but for our industry, as many have already said.
Let's think about the bigger picture. Aside from a lack of print newspapers, an increase in internet reporting and the possible decrease in jobs, what about the number of publications that may be born from incidents like this?
If major newspapers continue to follow this trend (which it looks like they will), less man-power will be needed to support these publications. This leaves a void for many new journalists who are looking for print work. If the market does not exist or cannot accomidate those looking for work, new publications, news blogs and private, news Web sites may emerge.
Would this be a good thing for the news media industry? Or will an increase in citizen journalists or personal/freelance publications create the chance for incorrect or incomplete news coverage?
Basically, what I'm interested to find out is in the case of an overflow of unemployed journalists, will more private/freelance publications emerge? Will they have the same credibility as the major papers? If freelancers have the same education as writers for the Capital Times, is their information and reporting just as trustworthy?
Just some thoughts.
I thought it was interesting that the Cap Times did a huge story about how they were switching to online edition. The switch seems like an elaborate press release to me.
I think this is definitely a trend that all of us must keep our eyes on, but at the same time I wouldn't worry too much. There will always be a need for writers, no matter what this particular industry does.
I agree that this is disappointing, but I also believe that the industry is merely adapting and that we will have to adapt as well. This does not mean that there won't be any jobs when we graduate, it just means we might be doing it in a different way than we all originally thought.
Additionally I don't think this is even a sign of things to come. This may happen from time to time, but I think there will always be printed newspapers just like there will always be books. We can get most books that we read online, but people still like to go buy them at a bookstore. People and journalists may have to adapt a bit, but this change does not have to be for the worst.
I think this just goes to show how much technology is changing everything around us. Not to mention using the internet as the primary source, the Cap times will be saving copious amounts of money by not publishing. I for one would rather have a hard copy to carry with me everywhere I go. I wonder how much this is going to affect Cap times readers?
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