On Monday the Miami Herald held a forum on Haiti at Books and Books in Coral Gables, and I was struck by something Nancy San Martin, the associate world editor, said in the introduction. I think it reflects the state of journalism in this town, and how rough it is for those still left in the field. She said:
"People ask us why you do what you do, and with everything that is going on with the industry now-a-days, as you know it is tough times for all of us, we also in the newsroom are finding ourselves asking ourselves that very question, of why we do what we do, or what I call the 'Why bother factor' - why bother working 12 hour days in very difficult conditions when the situation is so bad? Why bother, day in and day out, stressing yourself for deadlines when the situation is tough and getting tougher? Why bother risking your life?"
Some readers might see this as just another navel-gazing whining journalist, but I think she had a point.
The downturn in print journalism began long before the economic downturn or our current financial crisis, and it is now likely to get worse as businesses continue to cut back on advertising. I heard an unverified rumor that the Herald is planning more layoffs, on top of all the other layoffs that have occurred over the last year, not to mention the salary freeze. To a certain extent the layoffs mean less coverage, and to a certain extent they mean that the people left on staff have to do more. The Herald is trying to plug holes in the paper with a content sharing agreement they have with the Sun-Sentinel and the Palm Beach Post, but this too, has its limits, unless we assume that all three publications are going to end up as one big happy newspaper.
The forum though, had to be cathartic for her and for the other Herald reporters present, as the crowd gathered there thanked them over and over for bringing attention to the hurricane damage in Haiti and the worsening humanitarian crisis occurring at Miami's doorstep. San Martin and her staff are dedicated to covering it, and we can only hope that they will continue to have the budget to do so.
I'll have more on Haiti, and the forum, in my next post.
3 comments:
It's true....it's a calling. And Miami's a tough town.
It's the Herald's own fault for its lack of balls. They're just another rag that has uncritically published all the lies Washington has fed this nation for the last 8 years.
They deserve to go down because they've pretty much lost their credibility as a news gathering/reporting entity.
Nancy is a great, and caring editor. The herald, and the community is lucky to have them.
Post a Comment