As technology begins to percolate throughout the information world, print journalism begins to become obsolete, making the future of journalism as a whole ambiguous.
To help clarify the obscurity of this enigma is Leonard Tow, who has challenged universities such as Columbia and City University of New York, by donating a total of $8 million so that they may mold and cultivate the future of journalism.
"The funds are meant for examining how the troubled newspaper business can succeed online, and in training journalism students in new media," Tow said.
A former chief executive of Citizens Communications and Century Communications, Tow emphasizes the importance of technology and digital media which is imperative to the future of writing.
If no one fights to preserve the journalism trade then it will inevitably become an archaic art form, which will fade in comparison to the technological advances of the 21st century.
Although technology makes information more accessible and expedites the process of learning, print journalism is tangible and has served as the engine for knowledge since the 15th century, when the first printing press was created in Germany.
"It seemed to me the appropriate time to at least plant the seeds for a kind of new integrity in Internet journalism," Tow said.
The planters who will sow the seeds of journalistic integrity are CUNY's Tow Center for Journalistic Innovation and Columbia University's journalism department.
Namely, the Tow Center for Journalistic Innovation will "function as a research center for the profession, working on new Internet business models for news organizations and developing new ventures," according to the New York Times.
The journalism school's dean, Stephen B. Shepard, hopes that the center would invite venture capitalists to inspire the most beneficial ideas similar to the origin of other fields such as Google and Yahoo, which were both developed in Stanford graduate programs.
As the future of journalism depends on the actions of our youth, it is now more important than ever to highlight the significance of print journalism. If we fail to do this, digital media will become the primary source of information, which in turn could devalue the validity of information as sources become unverifiable in a wireless network with no paper trail.
According to the New York Times, Columbia University will strive to focus on training its journalism students in digital media. Nicholas B. Lemann asserts that "the school planned to hire two professors in new media and to develop a curriculum that may include data-driven reporting and software design for news organizations."
Perhaps if students are prepared in advance, they will be able to tame the digital domination of Goliath that will surely overpower the so-called David of journalism.
With the hire of new professors, who are well-versed in new media and capable of developing a curriculum, students can accommodate to the digital world in a way that stimulates both learning and innovation in terms of data-driven reporting and software design.
Now is the time to embrace technology and use it as a tool of advantage rather than burden so that the future generations may enjoy the simplicity of print journalism as our predecessors have come to appreciate.
Some may argue that print journalism has become dated. However, this seems a bit unfair for a media source that has been subservient to generations.
Consider the communist island of Cuba. The citizens of this country are discouraged from literature that may potentially liberate the proletariat. Yet, here in the U.S. we take for granted the freedom to publish and absorb news and opinion.
While we as a society might be growing and developing new forms of information outlets, there will come a day when the digital world becomes too uncertain, and out of necessity, the urgency for information will surpass the convenience of technology, renewing the vitality of a newspaper.
Fortunately, philanthropists such as Herbert M. and Marion O. Sandler have dedicated $30 million over three years to an investigative journalism nonprofit called ProPublica, which "strive[s] to foster change through exposing exploitation of the weak by the strong and the failures of those with power to vindicate the trust placed in them," according to propuiblica.org.
Print journalism has always acted as a tool of the minority, revealing the malevolent nature that plagues society. Let's not surrender the newspaper to the digital world; rather, let's solidify its future as a versatile media outlet, with the dual purpose of making information readily available while simultaneously preserving the merit of journalism.
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