Are Reporters Necessary?

News reports were seen around the web claiming that Qtrax, a new internet startup that allows users to download an unlimited amount of advertisement-laced music for free, had signed deals with 4 major studios (EMI, Sony BMG, Universal Music and Warner Music). This would be a historic deal and should have been front page news…if it were true. What really happened is that Qtrax announced that they had these deals but they were actually just in discussions with these studios. Corrections were made when the information was found out to be false.

What I find so interesting about this course of events is that large reputable news agencies were ready to jump on the bandwagon and publish front page articles about the significance of this deal without getting confirmation from the studios themselves. This, I believe, is how most journalism operates nowadays. They get a tip or hear a scoop and announce it to the world without getting full confirmation of the facts. It’s better to be wrong once in a while then let your competition get the jump on a story.

So what does that do for us, the consumers? The “reputable” journalists that we expect to do their job and confirm facts before reporting are filling our need for news like Mcdonalds fills our need for food…fast, dirty and cheap. This is fine with me. I absorb news from multiple outlets and don’t trust any specific source entirely. Therefore, I’m always skeptical, and may never know the actual truth, but I am aware of the majority perceived truth, and assume that I’m close to correct. It’s like trusting Wikipedia. It should be true considering so many people agree on it, but there is no guarantee that it is.

Back to the original question – are reporters necessary? I would say yes, but not good ones. Really good reporters won’t get the credit they deserve in this overwhelming media world. They’ll get lost in the crowd. If you’re a good reporter, and want to rise above the trash, write a book. Writers are still credible…for now.