An Alternative Future for Journalists

Adam Tinworth
Adam Tinworth

There’s no doubt that the number of traditional journalism jobs is shrinking, and shrinking fast. I struggle to think of a single publishing company that hasn’t had layoffs or title closures in the last few years.There is, suggests David Meerman Scott of the WebInkNow blog, an alternative:

You went to J-school to learn how to tell a story in words and images. Yes, the employers who traditionally hired your skills are shrinking fast. But there is an entirely new world out there for you to consider. Please keep an open mind about this.

I’m not talking about PR and media relations here. This isn’t about writing press releases and trying to get your former colleagues to write or broadcast about you. Instead, I’m talking about creating stories as you are now, but for a corporation, government agency, nonprofit, or educational institution instead.

The pay wall is a vision of the past, a retreat to a model that looks all but identical to the print days. It is a gamble on structural stasis through a change of medium. This is an alternative vision, one of complete disruption, of businesses that use journalism, but who monetise and exploit it in totally different ways. 
Is there a middle path?
[via [Joanna Geary](http://twitter.com/timesjoanna/status/11365822203)]
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Adam is a digital journalism lecturer, trainer and writer. He's been a blogger for over 20 years, a journalist for 30 and teaches audience strategy and engagement at City St George’s, London.

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