What happens to journalists when no one wants to print their words anymore?
The Bill Moyers website has striking accounts of sexism, ageism and exploitation of younger journalists as the industry deals with its Twentieth Century business model collapsing.
Much of the dislocation Dale Maharidge describes could have been written about factory workers twenty years ago and will be probably written about a whole range of white collar occupations over the next two decades. The disruption being felt by journalists is not unique to the media industry.
While the media industry struggles to find the 21st Century’s David Sarnoff, the human cost is real. The price workers pay when an industry is disrupted shouldn’t be understated.
“Could have been written about factory workers” – yes.
The thing is that many factory workers had neither the inclination nor the skills to write about their plight. In comparison, white collar automation will be the subject of endless Medium articles.