This Mashable.com piece and spreadsheet that describe the plight of the newspaper world do paint a pretty bleak picture, don’t they? Even so, I refuse to let such numbers get me down. I love journalism, and there is no reason to assume the entire industry is going to go under. Sure, it’s going to change and be quiet interesting until said change is complete, but that just means there will be more opportunities for innovation and entrepreneurship, both of which I love. Every day I ponder how I could come up with a new model for the industry. If I ever pull it off, I will be in high demand and probably rather rich.
Todd R. Vogts, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of media at Sterling College in Kansas. Previously, he taught yearbook, newspaper, newsmagazine, and online journalism in various Kansas high schools, and he ran a weekly newspaper in rural Kansas. He continues to freelance as a professional journalist from time to time. Also, Vogts is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), the Journalism Education Association (JEA), and the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC), among others. He earned his Master Journalism Educator (MJE) certification from JEA in 2022. When he’s not teaching or writing, he runs his mobile disk jockey service and takes part in other entrepreneurial ventures. He can be reached at twitter.com/toddvogts or via his website at www.toddvogts.com.
