Odyssey has arrived to several communities across the nation and newspapers seem to be attacking the situation instead of embracing it. The fear of losing readers has quickly taken its toll. Guess what? Fear is good.
Odyssey, a company which is rapidly growing and innovating itself towards its audience, has been under fire by news critics across the spectrum.
The idea of giving a couple of millennials unlimited power to express their views, opinions or stories seems a bit far fetched. Surely having untrained students across the nation writing on national topics was not necessarily the goal our journalistic fathers like Gutenburg, Bob Woodward, Edward Murrow, Walter Cronkite had in mind when they broke down the barriers for future generations. The nostalgic philosophy that journalism must be crafted carefully, effectively and unbiased is slowly beginning to plummet.
Yes, as journalists, we tell people what to think about and who to question. However, who are to say what is important and what is not.
Odyssey has been named several names including a un-accredited newspaper, an obnoxious void for students to yell into or just another social media outlet.
Yet, these accusations come with no evidence.
The possibility of allowing average joes speak their mind and opinions is not nonsense. It is not dumb, it is not senseless, it is not a void nor is it un-accredited.
Receiving millions of dollars from Buzzfeed's creator and the recognition of several national magazine platforms is more attention than most newspapers receive. Not to mention the spread of this company across communities within the United States alone. So, perhaps accreditations is not what is causing these jealous thoughts for our newspaper friends.
On top of these high components already amping Odyssey, Odyssey communities are reaching over 7,000 page views in a matter of weeks. Topping at over 40,000 page views is pretty substantial no matter in which side of the spectrum you side with. And this is where the program lies.
The question of what side of the spectrum you side with.
Do you side with the digital age where news is rapid, quickly forgotten, always on demand, meant to stir controversy and meant to include those who do not initially call themselves journalists? Or, do you side with the newspaper age where news is sharpened, carefully crafted, a slower pace, meant to be read when the mind is at ease and meant to be written by professionals?
So many things to think about and, yet both are wrong.
Odyssey is not here to take away newspapers nor to replace them. Rather, it is here to give those who cannot write in a newspaper, a social platform.
Journalism is the is the work and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and information for society to understand at least some degree.
As journalists, we should know that our opinions pieces should be equally as sharpened as our informational pieces. The world is changing.
Just accept it.
