*This is a big social change that's been going on for decades; even if Facebook and Google were to disappear, I don't think journalism could come back. It's not just that there's no money due to lack of ads; it's more that there's no time for readers to engage with it even if it's free. I myself read "news" of one kind or another almost all day every day, but I'm hard put to sit down and engage with somebody else's gatekeeper package of news. And I am a journalist myself, so if I don't read it, who would?
*It's an absence, but it's also like thinking that a country needs a President instead of just some weird sort-of celebrity who makes stuff up on social media. Well, sure, a "country" needs that, but it needs a functional first estate in the way it needs a functional fourth estate.
*The judiciary isn't looking too great either, while the Congress is kind of a joke, so you have to wonder what new forms of social organization can emerge from the rubble of all this. Journalism came from open letters pasted on the walls of coffee shops.
https://news.yahoo.com/us-media-sector-braces-brutal-jobs-140425656.html
Washington (AFP) - The struggling US media industry is facing its worst year for job layoffs in a decade as news organizations continue to cut staff and close shop, according to a new survey.
The consultancy Challenger Gray & Christmas reported this week that media companies, which include movies, television, publishing, music, and broadcast and print news, announced plans to cut 15,474 jobs so far this year, of which 11,878 of which were from news organizations.
That is nearly three times more than the 4,062 cuts announced in the media sector in 2017 and the highest total since the economic crisis in 2009.
"Members of the media, especially journalists, have had a tough few years," said Andrew Challenger, vice president of the Chicago-based firm.
"Many jobs were already in jeopardy due to a business model that tried to meet consumer demand for free news with ad revenue. As media outlets attempted to put news behind pay walls, in many markets, consumers opted not to pay."
Some of the notable events this year included the closing of the Youngstown Vindicator, the only daily in the Ohio city, with 144 jobs lost, and the sale of the New Orleans Times-Picayune resulting in the loss of some 160 positions including 65 in the newsroom.
But the troubles have also impacted the digital sector with BuzzFeed cutting 200 employees in January and Verizon eliminating 800 jobs in its media division, which includes Yahoo, AOL, and HuffPost, the Challenger report noted.
The report noted that media companies have been unable to keep pace with Facebook and Google in tailoring ads for customers based on their interests, making it hard to generate online revenue.
