A Reliable
Voice in the
Community

Volume 6
Issue 23
August 19-25, 2009

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Long live ‘The Press!’

The journalism industry is alive and well.

You wouldn’t know it, though, with all that silly talk of economic hardship, papers folding and more. 

According to the Pew Project for Excellence in Journalism’s 2009 annual report on American journalism, newspaper ad revenues have fallen 23 percent in the last two years, which has played a part in some papers going bankrupt, while others have lost three-quarters of their value. “By our calculations, nearly one out of every five journalists working for newspapers in 2001 is now gone, and 2009 may be the worst year yet,” the report says.

I’ve seen and experienced firsthand the effects of layoffs, buyouts, reduced paper width and sadly, the reduced coverage of critical areas, including those that tell the stories of and address the issues affecting communities of color. I’ve watched evening newscasts become even more fluff than fodder and seen fledging publications rise, and often times fall, while trying to fill a void in this roller coaster I’ve been riding the past few years.

However, during a recent trip to Tampa, Fl., to attend the National Association of Black Journalists conference, I witnessed something I had forgotten existed. Sure there were fewer attendants, a smaller job fair (no jobs to snag!) and the “extras” we are treated to annually were scarce. But there was something there I haven’t seen for some time in my various newsrooms nor from colleagues.

Pride — and a unwavering dedication to a profession that many of us journalists live by 24/7.

Everywhere I turned there were writers, editors, photographers, producers, hosts, designers and more honing their respective skills and even learning some new ones. There was talk of hope as to when we would come out of this spiraling funnel that has not only impacted us, but also the readers who remain faithful to us. There were those who vowed to continue to keep fighting.

One of those is Bob Butler — the current president of the Bay Area Black Journalists Association and newly elected vice president, broadcast, for NABJ. A Bay Area native, he is like the many I ran into who have not given up hope in light of the revolving door that carries our colleagues to other shops, to contract/freelance positions — like myself — and often times, unfortunately, outside the news industry entirely.

I applaud those who fight the fight, despite publishers who try to tell us we can produce the same news on a shoestring budget and with a skeleton crew. I say kudos to those within the National Association of Black Journalists and who are members of the Asian American Journalists Association, National Association of Hispanic Journalists, Native American Journalists Association and smaller journalist organizations of color who continue to make sure our voices are heard in some form, even when “diverse coverage” is usually the first to be slashed due to budget cuts. And I thank the readers who haven’t given up on us, when sometimes we feel like doing so ourselves.

So when you look at the industry as a whole, know there are papers struggling, but know you too can join our fight by telling us your stories, by buying our products and by purchasing ads … even the small ones.

And know, this too shall pass.

Michelle Fitzhugh-Craig is an award-winning journalist who resides in Oakland. If you have an individual, organization, issue or other topic that may be of interest to the Globe’s readers, contact her at talk2mfc@yahoo.com. Visit her blog at www.stpminute.blogspot.com.

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