New Career for Journalists? Write for PaidContent

Regardless of your vision for the future of blogging, the future of journalism might be tied to online publications more than we all think. In this post in the New York Times Bits section (business, innovation, technology, society), the discussion between Michael Arrington of TechCrunch and Rafat Ali of PaidContent highlights a few pieces of information.

Before I get into that I must say something that has been in the back of my mind for quite a while about the commenting I see at sites like the ones cited here - and in many cases at the sites of what used to be respected print publications like USAToday. Dudes, discourse is a worthwhile goal to aspire to. Personal attacks lopped at each other do not seem to add much to the conversation.

In terms of preference, it is much simpler than we might think - people gravitate towards what they know, and like. Then we go ahead and rationalize why we're making that choice. Things like: it provides more analysis, it's more genuine, there is good content, and so on. There is one interesting undercurrent in the comments to the Times blog - people are still voting for unbiased reporting. We can have that conversation on objectivity one day. 

The Times describes Mr. Arrington as right brained, while Mr. Ali is decidedly left-brained. I see those as two approaches to publishing. Nathan Richardson, PaidContent CEO who worked at Yahoo! Finance through its growth, sees the difference not shockingly to favor PaidContent. “Journalistic integrity transcends just being a blog,” he said.

And here's the payoff - the need for better writers (and researchers) is going to skyrocket as these online properties grow (VC financing or not). Where are they going to find all those qualified writers? “We can hire two good journalists, pay them well, and build a vertical,” said Mr. Ali. That could be good news for some journalists. Are current Schools of Journalism keeping up with the changing career landscape?

As we're now talking about tridigital (traditional + digital), the next generation of writers may already be there. Yes, I'm aware than many journalists are already pulling double duty - as are many marketers like this one. If the boundaries are blurred now, will they get even more fuzzy (as my friend Armano says) or will brand new careers emerge?

[image from Citizen Kane]

Comments

[Matt@Montage]

I think that this is the way forward and that the 'pay by clicks' model is most favorable for bloggers.

We must not forget that it is all about the content here and that medium is secondary.

That said, print seems to be on the decline on both sides of the pond and as a result there is allot of journalistic talent to be tapped into for blogs.

[Valeria Maltoni]

There is definitely some opportunity (and pressure) to fill a lot of publications with content. The dynamics are very different from print and probably more difficult and demanding for journalists and editors online. A recent NYT article gets into some detail on the pressure is on to deliver http://tinyurl.com/5p4r3x

[Tish Grier]

Hi Valeria,

Journalism schools are not all on the same page when it comes to exposing their students to blogging, or even blog-style reporting. Some, like Syracuse U. have brought in guys like Vin Crosbie, while others have only brought in folks who blog (read: stringers) for the local paper. Some innovative professors, like Dan Kennedy at Northeastern and Ryan Thornberg at UNC will talk with their students about the changes in journalism--while others are teaching in a sort of business-as-usual way.

It varies from school to school...as the attitude towards blogging in general varies from professor to professor.

However, many reporters have taken to blogging as a writing style and do it fairly well, as Mark Glaser of MediaShift writes here: http://www.pbs.org/mediashift/2008/02/digging_deeperdistinction_betw.html

One of the places that already-employed journalists have trouble with is the community side of blogging. That's what Mike Arrington's referring to as the emotional. Rafat Ali and his crew are great blog journalists. Mike Arrington isn't always a great writer, but he's got strong opinions and is very involved with his community. I read them both for different reasons and like them both for different reasons. I don't see them as a threat to each other inasmuch as they might be a threat to larger tech and business focused publications, if those publications do not hire journalists who get the medium.

[Valeria Maltoni]

Tish:

Thank you for sharing the link. I am familiar with Mark Glaser's work and I agree with your assessment. As for the consistency in teaching, that's a bigger conversation. Part of me thinks that students are not taking advantage of their teachers - they are not pushing to learn what they need, sometimes they study just for the exam. If they demanded to learn about social media, the schools would have to get with the program, so to speak.

Today it is everything but business-as-usual. Then again, it always was and those who prepare for change tend to be ahead of the pack.

"I don't see them as a threat to each other inasmuch as they might be a threat to larger tech and business focused publications, if those publications do not hire journalists who get the medium." Indeed!

[Adam Needles]

Interesting dialogue. An observation ...

It seems to me that there are really three functions/disciplines when it comes to writing (i.e., reporting, journalizing, blogging, spinning, whatever the medium) in the commercial/business ecosystem (excluding non-commerical social media for a brief moment):

> Marketers - who want to communicate value, influence behavior and drive commerce/profits

> Investigators/consumer advocates - who stand opposed to marketers and who work to debunk unfounded claims (often as journalists)

> Analyst commentators - who intermediate between the two and who opine on the interacting claims of the two (and who generally regail and entertain as the only party that is not religiously aligned in the battle for the consumer)

The question that has always been in my mind is -- again, regardless of the medium -- whether one person can do all three ... or at least more than one.

I argue it is impossible to sit in all three camps successfully and at the same time because the roles and goals are nonaligned. Even sitting in two camps at the same time is nearly impossible in my view.

This is why I believe that a former journalist does not make a good corporate PR/MARCOM person and vice versa. It is also why successful marketing professionals often cannot break out and see things as an external observer. It is also why both camps cannot necessarily become commentators. You get ingrained in a way of thinking and you cannot really ever wear the hat of the other (even if you are borrowing it for a day or two). You lose your empathatic powers outside of your realm.

I'm sure some will disagree. And I do believe there are exceptions, but I also believe that this generalization holds H2O.

So the idea of whether the world of paid content will intersect with traditional media/journalism and/or come together in terms of 'feeding the beast' ... I think it's impossible. Doing so crosses an aisle that - holistically - crosses impenetrable boundaries. Aside from altering the space-time continuum, it is just painful for either party.

Now, will roles morph and change over time? Undoubtely, but the polarities -- the roles -- outlined above are ones I don't think are going away anytime soon, and (to me) that means that each type of communication venue (e.g., marketing) will have to recruit and grow its own.

[Valeria Maltoni]

Adam:

That is an astute observation. What I have been seeing is that as individuals we are now wearing many more hats - at least we are aware of them increasingly more. We are employees and consumers and investors all at the same time.

With the advent of social media we are also increasingly both marketers and consumer advocates, part interpreters and part reporters of what we see happening in the marketplace. This is good. So while it is difficult to sit in many camps, we are already doing it - many of us are anyway. I hope I do a decent job of wearing the external hat here ;-)

Journalists are getting paid, yes? Many also admit that objectivity is a myth - they do have an angle for every story. Recruiting will be a challenge in that young professionals have learned to live with wearing different hats already. Good food for thought.