The Death of the Newspaper: Who's to Blame?

Eight years ago after reading somr very questionable "journalism" in one of Melbourne's broadsheet newspapers I decided that it was time to stop reading this particular paper. Interestingly 20 years earlier I would seek out this newspaper because of it's apparent informed news reports and diversity of views and opinions.

Today, I avoid a lot of "news" on radio and TV because of it's repetitive, and narrow focus. However it's hard to avoid a lot of it because of it's invasive nature in modern society. It is interesting that Anna Krien links this narrow news focus with ill informed opinionated people that are difficult to have any rational discussion with. Fortunately it is possible to still find some radio programs that have quality and depth in their discussions and news coverage.

The narrowness of focus is also a narrowness of stylistic content and an accompanying narrowness of voices in the print media. The level of intellectual diversity and fresh voices in this country's major publications is criminally lacking in my opinion. In fact Anna Krien is one of the very few high calibre young writers let through the mainstream gates, a figure of substance and literary ability (as opposed to glib witticisms and a groovy face). The day our leading publications and editors can say they have discovered and nurtured and published half a dozen new writers in the past year will be when the print media really does re-vitalize itself. The truth is that many could not claim to have discovered and nurtured half a dozen new names in their entire editing careers! Which may well be why so many of their pages, supplements and entire magazines are among the walking dead. The same names instead, appearing, doing the same things, over and over and over....

Thanks for your thoughts, Mark. We'd like to see more re-vitalising of media and literature generally. We'd love to hear any more thoughts you might have.

Thanks Wheeler Centre.

That rave above is just one of my general bug-bears. I teach literary non fiction and narrative journalism at both UTS and University of Sydney and over the years have seen a lot of talented young writers and great stories go nowhere. I just do NOT see that talent being rewarded or encouraged, or surfacing at all.

Yet I see a very tired group of name writers crop up all the time. It's not to say those name writers are without talent either, but they are flogged into the ground. This over-exposure is only exacerbated limited and highly-formatted sections in print media that restrict other story possibilities and styles of writing. The number of times I have heard about people being told they have a great story but it doesn't 'fit' is too frustrating to mention. Is it any wonder the blogosphere - for better or for worse - has bloomed?

It is nonetheless too easy to blame the economic downturn and the digital revolution for print media's woes. The truth is the paralysis has been there for a good decade. I have a tendency to blame editors - good ones are indeed rare - but of course they are straitjacketed by budgets and flat-earth management decisions that shut down all use of freelancers and demand even more exhausting use of overworked staff and regulars. It doesn't leave much room for new voices, or for the supportive energy and time needed from an editor when dealing with a promising but perhaps raw young writer. Everything is instead boiled down to adequately filling circumscribed holes on the page. There are NO surprises, and worse still there is no long-term re-energizing and turning over of the soil. Unfortunately this whole thing turns then into a generational gripe along the lines of why don't the old bastards get out the way, but there are just as many talented old bastards out there worth hearing more from too. I praised Anna Krien above, but a New Journalism pioneer like Craig McGregor still has plenty of spark in his writing at the age of 77 if the extracts I have seen of his memoirs in literary journals like Meanjin and HEAT are any indication.

What's needed seems too easy to identify - better writing, more variety of writers and some renewed support of photojournalism as well. Heart, intelligence, originality, a little electricity, a larger sense of our world. Needless to say, I could go on!