Author Mark Briggs spoke about the direction of the future of journalism at the 2010 SPJ Convention. Despite recent negative connotations with the profession, Briggs said he is optimistic about where it’s headed.
“There is job growth in journalism,” said Briggs, who runs an online media consulting firm in Seattle and is author of the book, JournalismNext.
He told attendees how he chooses to look at journalism as a “bright flower.” Rather than focusing on the layoffs found in print media, Briggs told students and professionals to look towards growth in other platforms and outlets.
He gave various examples of start-ups that took less traditional routes, including sites such as Patch.com and Bargain Babe LA. Both sites use hyper local and niche journalism.
Briggs also discussed how journalism will eventually be in the hands of media entrepreneurs. Citing various business models, Briggs organized the trending change of journalism into four main categories: entrepreneurial, data-driven, platform-agnostic, and social.
While Briggs was optimistic about where the field is headed, he stressed that there will be some failures and journalists have to be ready to take that risk.
Visit Briggs’ site, Journalism 2.0 for more conversations about journalism.
— Lauren Camplin
DePaul University Society of Professional Journalists 