The first thing people think of when they hear the word journalism probably includes a newspaper. In this day and age, these crisp black and white papers are becoming harder and harder to come by. According to Pew Research Center, since 1988 the number of newspapers in circulation has only continued to drop. There were approximately 63 million daily newspapers in circulation in 1988. By 2018, there were only about 28 million in circulation: a 55.5% decrease. But what do these numbers mean?
During this time, computers began to become more wildly used. The internet started to become what we know it as today in the 1990s. With the revolution of the internet, a wave of information started to become available. It was now easier than ever to know information and news. The internet only continued to expand and grow throughout the 90s and into the 2000s. It made more sense for people to search something they wanted to know on Google rather than buying a newspaper. By 2006, newspaper circulation had dropped by 6 million.
The newspapers were not blind to the shift in forums, however. The New York Times went digital by 1996 many other news outlets followed suit. Despite their efforts, the digitalization did not change the rapid decline in paper circulation. The internet has continually kept evolving and print newspapers are just not able to meet the same accessibility of knowledge.
Many papers have gone bankrupt or come close as a result of the lack of circulation. Starting in the 90s, many reporters and journalists have been laid off because newspapers simply don't make enough money. In 2005, the Los Angeles Times was bankrupt and had to work their way back up to even being stable.
What does this mean for today's journalism? The mass media is consumed through the internet: whether that is social media platforms, YouTube videos, or manually searching for information. Therefore, journalism in the print version is a dying breed. However, digitalized journalism is thriving. There are so many more opportunities to get information out and spread fast. There is a twist though, journalism is more competitive than ever. There are not as many standard journalist jobs anymore, meaning there is fierce competition for the small openings available. But the good news is that you don't have to work for a standard journalism company to be a journalist anymore. It is easier than ever to do freelance or simply use the tools made available to you.
Journalism is not dead; it is just different. There are still print news companies that continue to distribute papers. However, the future lies within the digital age. Is this necessarily a good or a bad thing? Only time can give that answer. For now, you can rest assured that while journalism may be ever evolving, it is here to stay for now.
