Convergence and Consolidation: The State of Modern Journalism

The introduction of new technology may not be as positive as many people assume it to be. While the integration of internet, mobile media, blogs, and other such interactive news reporting sites pop up around the World Wide Web, the potential for growth in the realm of traditional media is rapidly declining. Due to the influx in new technologies, both the quality of reporting and the newsworthiness of the information being produced are becoming quite suspect.
While modern media forms, including television, magazines, newspapers, and computers have allowed journalists to flourish, the new turns in technology are making the field more complex. These complexities are doing more harm than good. Many argue that areas, such as the internet, have allowed journalists to research more efficiently, and create news sources that can be supplemented with pictures, videos, and fan feedback. This is absolutely true. The internet, however, is a completely open medium. Anyone, including freelance writers, professional journalists, or just an average person off the street can claim a domain on the internet. These average people now have the ability to write news stories, without the hassle of an editor, a fact checker, or any sort of objective eye in which to correct unseen mistakes. This can become incredibly dangerous. The internet allows false information to be posted; information that could potentially be harmful to an individual or a society at large. Not all information is caught by lawyers ready to swoop in with libel claims, or intentionally infliction of emotional distress suits. Not every blog on the internet can be monitored, nor can every report be checked for accuracy. The convergence of media and journalism, while to an extent can be a wonderful thing, is hovering over the line of social disaster.
Consolidation poses another threat to journalism in the modern day world. Consolidation, or the ownership of multiple news sources by a single company, is running rampant in the newspaper world. According to a report from Credit Suisse-First Boston, the chances of consolidation in newspapers is quite high, and that small companies “could become take-out targets” (Morton 1). Many small newspapers are being bought out by large publishing companies, which then consolidate the multiple local newspapers into one, more general paper for the area. In small states like Maine, this really hurts the newspaper industry, as there are few writers to begin with. After consolidation, many jobs are lost, leaving journalists without jobs. In time, the lack of true “local” news hurts the newspaper, as people begin losing interest and terminate subscriptions.
The trend of consolidation also hurts the free flow of ideas in journalism. While the large corporations are slowly taking over the media, the ability for new and different ideas to emerge is rapidly diminishing. Journalists are now working for “the man”, and must adjust their writing accordingly. Their messages must fit in with what the company stands for, in order to please the ownership. The consolidation of media puts a strain on the marketplace of ideas, one of the founding principles of journalism. Journalists working for consolidated media now put censors on their writing, in order to fit the mold of the company, and end up sometimes end up sacrificing their opportunity to spread their true ideas.
While convergence and consolidation certainly have their pros in the journalistic world, their potential harm seems to outweigh their pros. Journalists must be wary of the changing times, and adapt their writing, and their mindset, accordingly.


Morton, John. Consolidation Nation. American Journalism Review. November 2002. 26 January 2010.