Am a journalist, can confirm
The old way of journalism is dying, and through my work in the industry I’ve come to learn that it’s the industry’s own fault.
Old masters we praise refused to adapt to an evolving culture and changing landscape, and it’s biting them in the ass right now. Some are trying to make up for lost ground, but a lot of others are digging in their heels and falling victim to the confirmation bias they hate.
Buzzfeed was created in the new age. It has nothing to change because it was never intended to do things the old way. It’s spearheading digital journalism (i.e. the literal future of journalism).
Old masters are being bought out by digital media entertainment companies right now, and they’re freaking out. They’re going from writing investigative pieces about government waste to compiling lists of the 20 cutest ugly dogs. They’re watching their friends and coworkers get laid off as the big companies “trim the fat” to make the “paper” more profitable. They’re living a forced change at the hands of a big, scary “unknown” and they hate it.
Buzzfeed isn’t at risk of that, because Buzzfeed has been doing this shit all along.
They’re not facing the fire. They were born in it.
They’ve laid the groundwork for how journalism needs to adapt. They’ve figured out how to get ad revenue in the online world, which is what everyone else has failed to do.
You have someone write 3 bullshit lifestyle pieces a day.
“Ariana Grande’s ponytail evolution”
“30 times OS updates screwed over users”
“These birds had babies and we are LIVING for it”
You make sure you deliver on the headlines. Clickbait won’t work. People won’t trust you when you deliver harder news if you can’t even deliver bullshit.
Get those clicks. Get those views. Get that following. Get that ad revenue. Get those sponsorships. Get that funding.
Use the funding to support harder pieces.
“Report: Justice Kennedy refused to retire unless Kavanaugh replaced him”
“President Trump spent over $1 million of tax payer money on trips to his own resorts”
“Refugee women abused, miscarrying in Trump Camps”
This is how we have to do it now. This is what the digital era demands. Anyone with a ounce of knowledge in the area and a lick of sense could tell you that. The problem is: journalism is run by old masters, and old masters will never admit that they’re way is wrong until it’s too late.
Don’t turn your nose up at adaptation and evolution. It’s how survival works.
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