Texan Mosaic

by BRITTNY STEGALL//Opinion Editor

Just as the world evolves, so do the things around us.

Journalism, to some people, may be dead. But to this journalist, it is only evolving. I hear all the time as a journalism major, “Why did you choose that career. You know its dying, right?” To some of you, that might be the case. But there is one thing everyone who agrees with that statement fails to realize. While print newspapers and nightly news might disappear with the years to come, there is a rise in the internet and social media.

No one can say journalism is dead. Journalists may die, but journalism never will. It is alive and well, and it will continue to be. It might just be in a different form than you would expect. There will always be a bright future for myself and other journalists, no matter the year or what technology they create. The world will always need credible and great journalists. The internet is the fourth medium of journalism, so how can journalism be dead if the internet is considered to be just that?

This generation of journalists and the ones who will come after us need to embrace this evolution instead of fighting it. Just like we learn to ask the right questions and how to format our stories, we need to learn how to use the internet, different mediums, and gain experiences in different areas to the best of our abilities. We need to learn to make the best out of a sticky situation.

The journalism field has come a very long way, from the 1830’s when a penny press was made to now when you have major newspapers such as the Boston Globe and The New York Times. Then there is the internet, where you have everything at your fingertips with the touch of a button.

Journalism will always be evolving, just as it did in the years before any of us were born. It’s up to us to adapt just as the journalists before us did, if this a career path you wish to pursue. The world will always need journalists who are trustworthy and credible just as much as the world needs policemen and doctors. The world will always need journalism. So if you’re a journalist or wanting to major in journalism, do not ever let someone tell you that your career field is dying.

Just as journalist and professor, Samuel G. Freedman said in his book, “Letters to a Young Journalist”:

“Personally, I have no doubt that journalism has as much of a future as a past,” he said. “Human beings will keep wanting to know what’s news. They’ll keep wanting to hear a good story. They’ll keep wanting to have a lucid explanation, a smart analysis of the events around them. That stuff will never, ever go out of style.”

There is no doubt that journalism will continue to evolve, just as it has done in the years prior. But storytelling will never go out of style. And storytelling is what keeps journalism alive. But in order to keep ourselves alive as journalists, we need to embrace the change in our career field and take it in full stride.