Dobson on why trained journalists are needed in the internet age
Denis Filed Under: Labels: Journalism studies, old guard journalism
It's always interesting to get the opinion of the older journalists on future of the profession. Some try to dodge the question with the skills they have learnt from years of experience in the media industry, others, however, embrace it and candidly talk about it. Bryan Dobson most definitely falls into the latter.He spoke to a small group of student journalists about his time in the industry and where he sees the profession going in the next few years. "The job we do as journalists still needs that professional approach. I see the new technology as people doing the same thing they’ve done for years... trying to make sense of the world for people," he said.
He also raised an interesting point, the internet is a vast place that makes little sense if viewed as a whole. He said that in television: "Our promise is that if you watch us for an hour here we will offer you info that will engage you in some way". He offered this in opposition to the tangled mess that news on the internet can become.
He was not arguing against the internet but saying that there would be a role for journalists to gather the most important news for a certain market. "I actually believe that there will still be an appetite for that kind of service whether it’s through new technology or not," he said.
