The State of the News: An Optimistic View

Despite wails and hand-wringing over the collapse of the traditional news industry, an abundance of blowhards and non-stories on television news networks, and the extreme proliferation of listicles, the practices of news gathering and journalism have never been better. In fact, there has never been a better time to be a consumer of news.

Here’s why:

Curation, Sharing and Immediacy
We may take this for granted, but due to the Internet, consumers of news no longer need be restricted to whatever the editor of their local paper decided to print twelve hours ago; and due to social media, users are no longer subject to the whims and preferences of that editor. With services like Twitter, consumers now have the ability to read relevant, interesting articles curated by people they either personally know or people known to share their same interests.

Presentation
No longer is the news confined to a columned layout in nine-point type or a 16×9 ratio-ed box. Due to the power of modern browsers and the devices on which we consume news, journalists have access to any number of tactics (infographics, videos, animated diagrams – and often overlooked – links to other articles) to best present and explain their story.

The web has finally gotten to a point that it can compete with (and sometimes exceed) the complex layout of highly designed magazines. And not only can this presentation be beautiful and immersive but it can be experienced on every computing device you own.

Specialization and Expertise
Generally savvy or more interested users will seek out breaking news or in-depth analysis on niche sites rather than visiting CNN or even The New York Times. Whether it’s visiting SCOTUSBlog to learn of the Supreme Court’s ruling on the ACA, or HoopsHype to figure out where Lebron will next take his talents, users are more frequently visiting highly specialized, expert sites to get their breaking news and analysis at the expense of previous standard bearers (in the above case, The Washington Post and ESPN respectively).

Ben Thompson, technology and business analyst touches on this phenomenon here:

No longer are my reading choices constrained by time and especially place. Why should I pick up the Wisconsin State Journal – or the Taipei Times – when I can read Nate Silver, Ezra Klein, Bill Simmons, and the myriad other links served up by Twitter? I, and everyone else interested in news, politics, or sports, can read the best with less effort – and cost – than it ever took to read the merely average just a few short years ago.

Most of what I read is the best there is to read on any given subject. The trash is few and far between, and the average equally rare.

Ten years ago, the internet upended a long-standing industry that had done incalculable social good but was unprepared to do away with the inefficiencies that the Internet demands. Sadly, a lot of jobs were lost and the nature of certain professions have been forced to change. But from this cataclysmic shift, an easier, more beautiful and more convenient way to consume better, more relevant news now exists.