COMM 595 - Reflection Blog 2

Link to article: https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2024/05/06/media-journalism-swagger-00154659

While I didn't intend for this blog post to sound so cynical, the unfortunate truth about what I want to do professionally -- journalism -- is that the industry is on a decline that continues to get steeper with time. The main focus of this article from Politico highlights a certain shift in the journalism industry's mentality that has been slowly causing a collapse.

The writer points out a term that describes the way journalism has always been: journalistic "swagger." It is used to characterize the offensive stance of past media that was forward and aggressive in exposing controversy. The media's reputation as the "fourth estate" allows it to check government entities by exposing corruption and misdoing. However, the writer notes that journalistic swagger has been lost in recent years as a result of cancel culture and media censorship, thus causing a sense of crisis within the industry itself.

In complete transparency, I have considered pursuing different career paths as a result of this decline but, as of now, it is still my plan to go into journalism. This article, along with plenty of others, point out the increasing number of downsides regarding a profession in journalism. However, I hope that the industry returns to its old ways and I can still make a good living in the field.