The Future of Journalism
June 21st, 2010 § 1 Comment
Lewis Lapham enjoys the well-deserved honor of being regarded as one of the greats of American journalism while they are still alive. People would be hard-pressed to locate the same degree of knowledge about history, art and culture possessed by Lapham in today’s generation of well-known journalists. The former editor of Harper’s Magazine, Lapham now edits a quarterly with each issue focusing on one theme. His essays are always beautifully written and rich with historical information which Lapham connects with current events with a smart sense of wit and irony. Critics call Lapham bitter and arrogant (he called for the impeachment of George W. Bush and refused to indulge in Obamamania), but they also often base their critiques on interpretations of his personality rather than his body of work. This always tells you something.
The clip above from April 30, 2010 is an important discussion about the future of journalism and the decline of the newspaper industry. Part of the PEN World Voices Festival, the panel includes Lapham, Joris Luyendijk, Martin Pollack, and Mary Anne Weaver.
For an interesting 2006 interview with Lapham, check out this piece by editor Ruth Conniff in The Progressive. Here’s a taste:
Q: Whom do you admire?
Lapham: I admire Ralph Nader. I wish in 2004 he had run for the Senate. His Presidential campaign was mistimed. But I admire almost anybody that tries to speak up for himself or herself. I admire writers.
Any political regeneration comes out of a better concern for the language. This is Orwell’s point in his essay “Politics and the English Language.” He says it is the foolish and awful and thoughtless use of language that allows us to not think. And unless we pay attention to the meaning of words, we are subject to dealers in quack religion and political chicane.
This is a great video, I have watched parts of it several times. I really tend to think that, technological issues aside, the crisis journalism is facing is a major crisis of ethics. Specifically, I think the largest question is whether journalism is a business for profit or a public service duty bound to certain social obligations. These two may be able to go together, for a long time they have, but it seems to be becoming harder and harder for them to co-exist. There are some great interviews with top journalists and academics (some heads of communication and journalism departments) discussing the future of journalism at http://www.ourblook.com/topic/future_of_journalism.html which I have also found useful on these subjects.