Old school journo defends the internet

Surprise surprise. Here's an opinion article by a journalist who started in the industry in the days when pages were laid out by hand. What I do wonder sometimes though is whether people who are starting out in journalism, or in the middle of their careers rather than at the end are just as positive about the future of their industry ...

Opinion: Journalism is changing for the better
By Bobby Mathews (Contact) | Demopolis Times
Published Sunday, July 13, 2008

One of the best parts of being a journalist is learning about things before (almost) anyone else.

I’ll give you a perfect example: Several weeks ago, Demopolis Police Sgt. Tim Williams was promoted to interim chief. It took a span of three meetings — two of which were held at 8 a.m.

For those final two meetings, I was the only one in Rooster Hall who was not a member of the city government. Minutes after that meeting ended, we broke the news before anyone else on our Web site.

Then I was invited into a private meeting for the police force, where Demopolis Mayor Cecil P. Williamson announced Williamson’s promotion. Again, I was the only person there who was not a city employee.

And there’s the paradox for many journalists. Robert Duvall, in the excellent movie “The Paper” said it this way: “We move in their world, but it is their world — not ours.”

The world of journalists is changing, though. In the old days, we would have held that news for publication in the next day’s newspaper. MORE