Terry Heaton on the 'audience problem' of the MSM

Terry Heaton has a great article on local and traditional media in what he describes as a 'postmodern' world. An excerpt:

'Journalists face the same kind of problem, because — like our brethren in the music industry — we want our place in the culture preserved, regardless of behavior that contributed to the audience problems that led to revenue declines in the first place. Make no mistake about it; traditional media has an audience problem, not a revenue problem. Money follows eyeballs, and we seem incapable of understanding why the eyeballs are fleeing.'

You can understand why journalists are proud, why they hold their industry up on a pedestal
and give pats-on-the-back all round. But the longer each individual, let alone a whole paper or organisation, stays stuck within a mindset that is undeniably elitist, the more the relationship between old and new media will be a division - indeed, the fact that one can make such a distinction is obviously telling in itself - rather than a conglomeration.

'Such contempt does not exist here, so the future begins with a fundamental belief that journalists, professional or otherwise, will be independent contractors, building individual brands based on the quality — and popularity — of their work. Already, established journalists are leaving their posts to become independent, and this will escalate for two reasons. One, smart, independent journalists can grab online niches not currently being served and eventually support themselves by aggressively pursuing local advertisers and perhaps entering into agreements with local media companies as independent contractors. Two, as bottom line pressure continues on local media companies, it'll become easier to justify paying independent contractors than employees, and this is especially viable in an increasingly commodified news environment.

This may not be good for all traditional media companies, but it's hard to argue that it would not be good for journalism. More independent voices — even those with opinions — would be a refreshing change in a world currently dominated by what many are now calling the "press-sphere," that united and established voice that determines and defines "the news" on any given day.'

This of course is one of the most positive developments arising from the dispersion of the media. There is an obvious advantage to journalists being close to the establishment, but this can lead to an unwillingness to challenge the state and government. In addition, it is difficult, nay impossible, to justify why such a small group of individuals should set the news agenda. Independent voices, be they in the form of local independent writers, dissenting bloggers or whoever falls into the somewhat undefined label of 'citizen journalists', will increasingly challenge the MSM. Yet, it seems that not all in traditional media have decided how to respond to these rapid changes.