As TV and Web News Merge, Journalists Take On More Risk and Journalism Evolves

As upstart news companies emerge, the profession of journalism will inevitably change. The NY Times has expressed concern about a growing lack of journalistic standards--with fears that a dwindling readership for the newspaper industry will eradicate quality journalism and the system of checks and balances provided by the NY Times and piers.

New media and news companies still must compete against the big guys, and the competition isn't easy. While many blogs and political news sites jump towards the easy answer--sensationalism. Others try to pursue the more difficult path: venturing to the world's hot spots and remote on stories not covered in the traditional media. Risks in this more difficult path are clear. New companies, such as Current TV, do not have the clout or political pull that larger venues have. This is evidenced in the recent arrest of two reporters, Ms. Ling and Ms. Lee, of Current TV who were covering a story on the border of North Korea. The reporters were detained by border patrol; arrested; and sentenced to 12 years in a labor camp. Their arrest comes at a time when relations with North Korea are particularly troubling--as North Korea tries to reassert it's presence in the world.