The News: What is its future?

Oct 31, 2009

Journalism must face change

By Greg Wade

Reporting Techniques 2001

John Honderich is convinced that print media needs to adapt to the new age of journalism or democracy itself could be at jeopardy.

Honderich spoke to a full house at the Joseph Howe Symposium on Oct. 17 about his views.

“The debate and the discussion as to what should be done in Canada must flourish now,” Honderich said. “For if it doesn’t I believe the very quality of our democracy could be in play.”

Honderich, a journalist for more than 35 years, is currently chair of the Torstar Corporation and served as publisher of the Toronto Star from 1994-2004.

With the greatest respect for print medium Honderich knows now that journalists need to adjust to a new world.

Honderich believes that journalism will have to take on a new form in this changing time such as participatory journalism or an independent non profit news room such as ProPublica but he did affirm that there would always be a place for journalists.

“What newspapers have to have are people who go and get content…. there’s always going to be a place for people.”

One of the possibilities that Honderich resists is bloggers, who have become more accepted by mainstream media in recent times.

“The same bloggers and instant commentators rarely choose to dig deep, or launch in-depth investigations,” Honderich said. “The loss of a vibrant newspaper culture can seriously affect the quality of information that the public sees.”

Bruce MacCormack, vice president of business development at the Halifax Chronicle Herald was Honderich’s fellow panellist at the event. MacDormack said print media are in trouble because of their business models, not a lack of readership, “Forty-two per cent of all men and women read the paper.”.

“So it’s not about the death of the papers; it’s about a debt level,” he said.

Honderich did propose several models that could help deal with the debt including a reliance on grants and the idea of media houses coming together but Honderich was hesitant about the idea of a government bailout.

“I think the implications of (a government bailout) are very deep and have to be thought clearly of before we move forward.”

Though he disagreed with Honderich’s views on online mediums place Michael Rogers, vice president of the Washington Post Company’s new media division, who spoke earlier at the symposium, agreed with Honderich on the importance of the print medium.

“I’ve worked with newspaper for 20 years and every year I have greater respect for it.” Rogers said. “Its large format, high resolution, full colour, very low, recyclable… we are not going to be able to do that with e-paper for a long, long time.”

Honderich believes that for the quality of newspapers to stay the same society shouldn’t allow journalism to slack off in this time of change.

“As citizens and as Canadians we should be very demanding of what we expect from our media,” Honderich said.

Honderich also pointed that a high quality of news is for the good of everyone saying, “This issue is nothing less than the health and vibrancy of our society and our country.”