Papercuts...Is TV Next?

It's scary to watch the number of employees (it's not just writers, also drivers, editors, delivery people, etc.) being laid off by newspaper companies. I was intrigued by a recent article in the American Journalism Review about the astonishing number of jobs that disappeared in 2008. There were more than 15,000 jobs cut, with an estimation of half of them being journalists. It makes me wonder who will be the watchdogs of the government, the storytellers of the average person, and the people who report the emergencies of the world. I understand that newspapers are archaic in that they report yesterday's news. But I believe there's something in reading material that has been fleshed out and includes accurate details.

The article had a link to a map that showed a breakdown of the number of lost jobs in 2008 (http://graphicdesignr.net/papercuts/). I was surprised that so many jobs have been lost in the midwest. So when will television jobs see the cut as well? As more people go online to get their news, even the 10 o'clock shows are becoming outdated.  It was sad to read about people like Joe Grimm (from my hometown of Detroit) who was a recruiter for 18 years and left his paper after a buyout was offered.  It's true these past columnists have great writing skills that can transfer to different areas, but if reporting is your passion, won't your skills best serve the public in that capacity?  I don't think the American public truly understands what it does when it doesn't read the daily newspaper.  It's hard to separate the line between the job loses due to a struggling economy and actual changes in the news-gathering process.  

I think that in the next decade there will be a switch to online broadcasts and a cut in the number of news shows.  The days of tuning in at 5, 6, and 11 are quickly ending.  I think it's more likely that there will still be the night newscasts, but more of an always updating newscast on the Internet for viewers.  I also think smaller markets are going to do better than larger markets because there's less competition for it.  In areas like New York, Chicago, and LA, their news is basically national news.  However, for smaller markets like Saginaw, Michigan or Sioux Falls, South Dakota, local residents will not get their news unless local people report it.  The changes are scary to watch but I believe honest, accurate journalism will come out on top as it always has.  The form may just be different than we're used to.