NIEMAN REPORTS—The journalism industry is losing future generations — here’s what we can do
In my 16 years building the PBS News Student Reporting Labs (SRL), I’ve never been more anxious about the future. Not only is journalism shedding jobs and desperately searching for new business models while press freedoms melt away, but the majority of young people view the news media as “boring,” “biased,” and “bad.” Eighty-four percent of teenage respondents characterized it using those words in a recent report from the News Literacy Project.
This is a flashing red warning signal we can no longer ignore. To build an informed, engaged audience — and workforce — 20 years from now, we need to play the long game and plant the seeds today.
Media organizations and funders should proactively involve young people in journalism. There are some stories best told by young people, and youth media programs can help teenagers recognize themselves as important contributors to the news ecosystem, not simply as content consumers. If we don’t invest in building a community that involves the next generation of news creators and consumers, we can’t act surprised if there isn’t one.
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