[AEJMC Newspaper Division list] A rose by any other name

[Bob Stepno]

I've decided I like the ironic fact that  "online news" needs no
"lines" any more than newspapers need paper, while "the press" gets by
with Ethernet, wifi or broadcast tower.

Adding "online" or "digital" to the division name would be symbolic --
simply shorter than saying ,

"Newspaper Division: The journalism, not the fishwrap,"

"Newspaper Division: From web press to World Wide Web," or

"Newspaper Division: Journalism's living roots, not its dead trees."

In fact, I'd still support staying with the original name, just so
that at the next convention I might make big bucks marketing a full
line of recruiting posters and T-shirts with post-colonial second-deck
sentiments like those.

:-)

cheers,

Bob

On Wed, Aug 18, 2010 at 2:43 PM, Paul Steinle <steinlep at sou.edu> wrote:
> Names are powerful. The current use of "ground-zero mosque" for a mosque
> that is not at "ground zero" demonstrates the confusing power of mis-naming.
>
> Whatever more definitive, accurate or relevant name we chose should still
> reference "newspapers" as its foundation. Why? Because newspaper revenues
> still drive this jounalism enterprise.
>
> We've visited 10 newspapers thus far (40 to go) and none of them predict
> online or digital revenues will finance their newsrooms within the next five
> years.
>
> The newspaper industry tilt is toward renaming its companies "media"
> companies, but that begs the question about why radio & TV "news media"
> don't fit under that moniker.
>
> A mouthful like "Newspapers and derivative digital news media" seems most
> accurate. (The trouble with "online" is all the mobile media reception
> devices: are they online?)
> But why not persist with the name "newspaper" for the time being, so we
> don't ignore what is paying the bills.
> The industry is in transition; isn't wiser to observe and adapt our
> curricula without re-branding who we are and what we are studying before all
> the dust settles.
> Paul Steinle
>
> Sent from my iPhone
> _______________________________________________
> News-list mailing list
> News-list at aejmc.net
> http://aejmc.net/mailman/listinfo/news-list_aejmc.net
>
>