At school, every time we were told we were going to watch a film in class it was usually code for 'I cbf'd teaching you today and this will hopefully shut you up'. However, Page One the film we were shown at the Schonell this week was incredible. It was beautifully put together and especially relevant for first year university students wondering if Journalism is the right career path for them. The film told the story of the New York Times and posed some harrowing questions and scenarios such as 'Will the Times go out of business?' 'Is print media dying?' 'What's next for the world of Journalism?' 'How will people continue to make money out of news media?'. These are all very poignant and relevant questions in the field of journalism and have some serious consequences for the general public.
While the film attempted to give an unbiased viewpoint of the relevance of the newspaper, it turned into a bit of a biography on the life and times of David Carr. I myself was fine with this focus as I have now come to hail David Carr as the badass of the media industry and officially the coolest person ever.
What the film made me realize and fear however, is the competitiveness and gradual decline of the journalism industry. I've always known being a journo involved some serious hard work and even then only the most tenacious survive, but what I wasn't aware of was the severe layoffs that are taking place throughout the industry. Even the most longstanding and credible journalists are being shown the door; it seems no-one is safe from the budget cuts. This scares me a little to be honest, especially when I don't think my personality is altogether suited to cope with competition.
The film was a stunning and provocative look inside the worlds most famous newspaper, it's history, it's present and what the future holds for the New York Times. Thanks for taking us Bruce!
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