Hummusgirl's Blog

I think about journalism and its effects on the world a lot, mostly because I have a degree in journalism and feel more passionate about it than I did when I graduated with a minor in it in college almost 20 years ago. I get kind of scared of the life journalism has taken on; both with the demise of the newspaper and the rise of online journalism. However, I have fallen in love with journalism through books, the bbc, and the Philadelphia Inquirer, which we subscribe to.

I feel kind of proud that humor can be used in journalism and maybe is the way it’ll survive. I’ve found some books that replicate that fact, such as through the historical humor of Sarah Vowell, some off beat books, and food books. I sometimes think journalism needs to reinvent itself all over again, especially in online writing.

Can we exist as a free society without journalism? Maybe the loss of newspapers is somewhat to blame for lack of community. We need to know about the world around us, even if it’s just our small town. That being said, I love nonfiction so much more than fiction. There’s just something about the real world that just amazes me. I love memoirs and biographies too. I just think people can be so fascinating.

Maybe that’s what journalism should be: focus on connections with people and getting to know your fellow neighbor instead of being so fearful of the unknown. In other countries, do they still have newspapers? Maybe we’re doing better than them in terms of small towns holding on to newspapers. I know we have something called “Patch” where you report online about goings on, but still I really feel the printed word will never die, no matter what happens.