I see a bright spot for journalism. Yes, I do, and today is not April 1.
There’s so much doom and gloom in our field today, but I know from experience that there is at least one path to help us out of the darkness. It’s community.
I don’t mean to diminish the pain. I’ve been in the meetings. I’ve told the daily newspaper reporter who needs a stapler to go look in unused office desks. I worked as a local editor, then chief editor, at a daily. I’ve been at magazines and a weekly, too. I’ve run an internship program for new journalists for about 15 years. Sometimes these bright-eyed 19- and 20-year-olds ask me about the state of journalism. I tell the truth, that things are rough, but I still believe.
Here’s what I’ve learned. This is so important, maybe read it twice: Our revenue models are strengthened when our news products are lathered in community love.
Rob Golub is the editor of the Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle and the former chief editor of The Journal Times in Racine, Wisconsin.
