Remarkable journalism exposed corruption, righted wrongdoings and kept government accountable in 2019.
This is highlighted by the recently announced Investigative Reporters &Editors awards. They laud stories exposing abuse of children, bribery and state prison system failures, among other wrongs.
While news readership is surging during the pandemic, many outlets are doing stellar work and reporters’ zeal for investigative work continues, that’s not enough. The crisis is accelerating the downward spiral of the news business.
Several IRE winners and finalists work for publishers that went bankrupt or were sold in private equity deals in the past six months.
Across all U.S. media, newsroom employment fell 25%, shedding 28,000 jobs, from 2008-18, according to Pew Research. At newspapers, newsroom jobs fell 47% during that decade. At least 1,800 newspapers went out of business since 2004.
That could be repeated in a single year. So far the crisis has resulted in 28,000 news workers being laid off, furloughed or having pay cut, according to a New York Times estimate. Some newspapers are dropping editions or suspending print altogether.
Every industry is suffering, and all workers are important. As the nation works to shore them up, it must also ensure the free press survives and continues to perform its essential role informing the public and holding institutions accountable.
Democracy depends upon a free press to inform voters. The press also provides critical information such as health and safety information during a crisis.
Local newspapers continue to provide most original reporting in their communities. They “significantly outperform local TV, radio and online-only outlets in news production, both in overall story output and in terms of stories that are original, local or address a critical information need,” a 2019 Duke University study found.
With advertising and content being siphoned by online giants or simply disappearing because businesses can’t afford it as they are shuttered or downsized because of the coronavirus, press survival increasingly depends on subscribers and philanthropy. It will also require federal support this year.
That’s just sustenance. As newspapers contract, fewer might be willing or able to devote resources to investigations.
That makes this year’s IRE awards all the more remarkable, including those IRE wins by organizations pursuing new models to sustain journalism.
Unfortunately, thousands of communities no longer have a local newspaper, or only have ghost papers with little reporting.
The pandemic is highlighting how critical local news coverage is to every community, much less award-winning accountability journalism.
America’s free press is essential, gravely threatened and must be preserved.
— The Seattle Times
