Traditional American journalism has always been safely situated at the heart of the American people. Since the nation’s founding in 1776, when the United States declared independence from Great Britain, the citizens of the United States have used the field of journalism to reach the masses.
Even before the nation’s founding, information was distributed between would-be citizens of the States by small “news sheets”. These sheets would circulate throughout the population, ensuring that the people would be up-to-date on the latest happenings within the colonies.
As you can see, traditional American journalism is an area of expertise that boasts a history as deep-rooted as the birth of the United States.
Journalists find stories that deserve attention from the sunny shores of California to the towering skyscrapers of New York. Reporters, news writers, and other professionals in the work field gather the facts and bring them to the people in the form of live broadcasts, published articles, interviews, etc… Journalists are often looked at as ethical human beings tasked with enlightening the people with information they wouldn’t be privy to otherwise.
Currently, there are over 300,000,000 citizens in the United States (Worldometers.info). The United Nations puts the U.S. at number three in the highest-populated countries in the world, with a yearly increase in population of around 1%. With that high amount of people spread across quite a great expanse of land, media outlets that have been a means of conveying information for decades (television, radio, newspapers) seem to be the only answer of reaching so many people.
Recent statistics seem to suggest a different narrative.
According to PewResearch.org, newspaper sales and circulation within the States have been decidedly falling since the late ‘90s. While newspapers reported rising subscriptions in 2016, American daily and Sunday newspapers faced an 8% decline in sales. Some newspapers have even announced they would be cutting down on the number of print editions they release.
It’s not only newspapers that are losing numbers. News broadcasts from television stations have also taken a hit. Although their numbers remain slightly above those who consume online news, it looks as though online news is beginning to catch up.
In a recent Pew Research Center article by Michael Barthel, Barthel writes on the decline in television viewers in 2017. Local, cable, and network television suffered losses that year. Cable television faced a decline in its evening news audience by a shocking 12%. Network television lost 7% of its evening news audience, while its morning news audience average dropped by 10%. The morning news audience average of local television dropped 15%, while the audience average of evening and late-night news dropped 7%.
Should American-owned media outlets be concerned about their loss of numbers? These outlets are continuing to run; however, these statistics should come as a bit of an alarm. If the steady decline that’s been a trend for the past decade or so continues, where will traditional American journalism be in the future? Will an already shrinking job field fade away into mere memory?
What can we attribute to these declining numbers? What happened so that traditional journalism numbers have begun to take this downward turn?
Simple—technology and the access to it has changed. In the past, the only people with access to some of the latest developments in technology were those in certain job positions and with enough money to afford it.
Now, the digital divide is shrinking. Many people of all ages and from all classes have access to some of the latest forms of technology. Smartphones, laptops, desktops, smartwatches, and more are becoming more and more commonplace in the average American household. Technology is being upgraded into easier alternatives—just look at how many American have ditched their landline in favor of a cell phone.
Is the same trend happening with the way Americans receive their information? The answer is yes. As Barthel’s article indicates, online news is quickly climbing into the position as the number one way that Americans find out what’s going on with the world. It is a matter of convenience. Just a quick press of a button, a few swipes, and you’re looking at what the President tweeted last night.
Speaking of tweets, social media is another newer introduction that may have contributed to the decline of an audience for traditional news sources. Now, everyone and anyone can be a reporter. With phones that have cameras, firsthand witnesses can provide quality footage of an incident and share it with others through social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and others. You don’t have to pay for a news subscription to view these videos. Better yet, you’re able to comment on these videos and chat directly with others about the news rather than be a silent spectator. You’re involved and the appeal of this can be greater than passively listening to or watching a news program.
This may explain why many newspapers and news programs have begun to make the shift into the world of social media, posting their stories on their designated Facebook pages versus asking people to pay them money to view it on their website.
Another reason for the decline in American journalism may be the long-time allegations of media bias. For a long time, many media outlets have been known to be either more conservative or more liberal. If these outlets were to put out a more biased piece, the piece would then need to be labeled as “an opinion”. This doesn’t always happen to be the case.
Many Americans are beginning to feel as though mainstream media is steadily losing its credibility. In a recent survey done by the Washington Times, 69% of Americans surveyed do not put their full confidence in the news being given to them by mainstream media and are losing their trust in it altogether. According to the Society of Professional Journalists, their journalists are meant to follow the following code of ethics: “seek truth and report it, minimize harm, act independently, and be accountable and transparent” (SPJ.com).
After the 2016 election, which drew invisible lines between classes, celebrities, and journalists alike, Americans are beginning to wonder where loyalties lie. Which news sources can truly be unbiased, and which won’t present fake or skewed news in favor of hidden agendas?
As more and more American start to rely on their own fact-finding–rather than news sources–journalism is feeling that impact. Will the field of traditional American journalism be able to make a comeback? Like many occurrences in history, only time will tell.