Feb 17th, 2011
I Really Need You to Read this Article, Okay?
Journalists across all platforms have become incredibly obsessed with how many people are viewing theirarticle(s), as opposed to the next person. Has journalism driven away from it’s true purpose and turned into marketing?
This is the point that Joel Achenbach, a Washington Post staff writer, argues in his article titled “I Really Need You to Read this Aricle, Okay?”
Copyright: projects.washingtpost.com
He, as every other smart journalist, knows and realizes that journalism has taken a sharp turn for the Web. He jokingly expressed that because people are now able to see how many views they’ve gotten on a particular blog or article, this will change the way journalists do “business”.
I find this to be very true. Journalists are striving to be the best at their profession, and that’s what they should be doing. But at one point is it a competition instead of getting out good, solid, well-thought out information?
A very good quote from his article is when he states:
“Here’s a metric I think we ought to keep in the mix: Gut instinct. A reporter’s own sense of a good story. That means being willing to ignore the latest page views and use your professional judgment to produce great journalism.”
He concludes with, “News outlets will never get anywhere if they’re obsessed with chasing readers. They can, however, collaborate with them.”
I find this to be very true. Journalists as well as news outlets need to remember that they must write well, write what’s prevelant, and write for their audience.
