State of the News Media

The Pew Research Center has been taking a close look at the US news media, which has been having up and downs recently. Amy Mitchell is acting director of Pew’s Project for Excellence in Journalism and the study’s lead author. “Challenges are mounting one on top of the other.  There are still issues in terms of finding financial support to keep a news organization afloat these days.” Mitchell says many newsmakers have learned to bypass the mainstream media. “There is much more opportunity to go directly to individuals and they’re gaining more skill as well as at understanding technology and figuring out the ways to use it.” Reduced staffing and reporting at some news outlets has caused some news consumers to say they have had enough, adds Mitchell. “We asked the American public, if they had left a news organization because it was no longer giving them what they were accustomed to and nearly a third of Americans had left a news outlet for that reason.” Many newsmakers are seeing fewer and fewer reporters these days, concludes Mitchell.  “We have now heard a number of different members of Congress and people in government say I don’t have anybody that is recording what I am saying day in and day out.  I don’t have anybody anymore watching my actions and reporting that back to my constituents.”