OJR: The Online Journalism Review

Emily Henry

Los Angeles,

Homepage: http://adaylikethis.com/

Emily Henry hails from South East England and is a News21 fellow at USC's Annenberg School for Communication. Raised in the rural "green belt" on the outskirts of London, she completed a degree in English and American Literature at the University of Kent before moving to Los Angeles in 2007 to pursue a career in creative writing, social justice journalism and transatlantic correspondence.

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These articles are the work of their author, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of nor an assignment by OJR.

Growing pains, part 2: Can grassroots journalism help underserved communities?

June 24, 2009
While the newspaper industry struggles to find new definition in an Internet age, the population most at risk of being left behind is low-income communities. Local newspapers are suffering significant losses in the industry, and yet the medium is still heavily relied upon as a source of information for poorer areas where Internet access is minimal. Many of these communities are already under-served by the media, and as their newspapers disappear, the void is likely to widen. Eventually, these communities may benefit greatly from the communication tools the Internet and mobile news delivery will provide. But during this period of turbulence the digital divide could impede progress. In affected areas, the wealthy will be gaining a medium while the poor are losing one. Meanwhile, in areas with more universalized Internet access, impoverished communities will be given access to news on a scale never before extended by traditional media.

Community Journalism and Hyper-Local Markets

Communities in South Los Angeles have long been starved of media attention. Since the collapse of the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner in 1989, the newspaper industry in Los Angeles has been dominated by a single, powerful newspaper. The Los Angeles Times overshadows local newspapers such as the Los Angeles Wave and the Los Angeles Daily News, creating a monopoly on news coverage that favors broader stories over community-sensitive pieces. Stories from South Los Angeles are rare, and the Los Angeles Times has been criticized for limiting its coverage of the area to tragic or violent breaking news stories.

"The LA Times covers breaking news that they deem worth covering," said Don Wanlass, news editor for the Los Angeles Wave, one of three newspapers based in South Los Angeles that makes an effort to cover news significant to residents in cities like Compton, Watts and Inglewood. "There's a lot of sentiment out there that the Times only reports bad news, like political corruption scandals and shootings. They don't go into the small communities and get some of the stories that are there to be had." More...

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Life after death: newspapers and the re-invention of paper technology

June 19, 2009
The threat underlying the transition to a paperless, Internet world is, in itself, ironic. Firstly, the illusive space of the online sphere is being filled with a cacophony of "voices," many of which are echoing the content produced by the traditional media. The Internet speaks in a language of reaction; meanwhile, the some of the catalysts themselves are being destroyed. Journalists are worried about the future of the profession, and the media industry is fearful of its own demise. Secondly, while information is exponentially increasing online, the first areas of journalism suffering the threat of extinction are among the very forms that attempt to make sense of extensive information. While sites like Twitter ask users to define their world in 140 characters or less, and speed – above accuracy or content – is the competitive force fueling online news outlets, some contextual, interpretive and analytical modes of journalism are fading away.

Investigative and literary journalism are among the forms in danger. Both rely on deep-dive reporting methods: the former usually tackling political and economic institutions and the latter focusing on sociological trends. As such, these long-form species fall into the category of "deeper understanding" and are a means of information management – a way to navigate – according to Barry Siegel, former national correspondent for the Los Angeles Times and head of the literary journalism program the University of California, Irvine. "I'd describe it as a form of subterranean news," said Siegel. "We're writing about human nature, the nature of our community, and about the things that are most important in those communities, which are not always the obvious breaking news headlines." Literary journalism, which Tom Wolfe described as journalism that reads "like a novel," concentrates on context above immediacy, and as a result, requires more time and resources than hard news. Siegel says that he spends four months to a year on his own pieces.

In a world of infinite information, it would seem that providing context is more relevant than ever. Investigative journalism, the detective agency of the people, has acted as a "watchdog" presence, independent of government and big business, since its inception. Literary journalism, often bundled with terms like "long form" and "feature," has meant sociological understanding and on-the-ground experience of the human condition in all its varying colors.

Tightened revenue streams have encouraged quick fixes, such as re-assigning long-form journalists to cover "short-form" news and reducing funds for contextual reporting. But for the newspaper industry, this could be a counterproductive move. The entire experience of narrative story telling is changing, according to Sue Cross, an AP news executive who oversees the wire service's digital operation. Video and audio are feeding the experience of long-form journalism online, and instead of attempting to emulate the speed of the Internet, the newspaper industry should be embracing the change and using technology to enhance deep-dive reporting. By cutting immersive journalism in favor of less expensive, superficial forms, the newspaper industry risks losing everything that has made it a valuable medium for 300 years. More...

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