As newspapers create new ways of pandering to online readers who are not particularly interested in the news — or in reading — the newsroom of the future is emerging. And it’s a scary place for those who rely on good journalism to keep them informed.

The Cincinnati Enquirer, a Gannett newspaper, recently placed an employment ad seeking a new kind of investigative reporter. According to the media criticism site Romenesko.com, the ad put a strange emphasis on wooing the 25- to 45-year-old demographic group that advertisers covet, rather than on news content.
Here’s an excerpt:

cincy

All of this is quite disturbing but the phrase that really sets off the warning sirens is “advertising partner.”

This sounds like the reporter and the partner will choose what stories to write — and shape those writings — based on what will bring in the most advertising dollars. The bottom line: “monetize” is the favorite buzzword of newspaper executives.
Last month, another glimpse of the future newsroom emerged when the Nashville Tennessean, following the path of many papers, hired a “community engagement editor.” This is a trendy way to engage in happy talk with people in the community via social media. An example from Facebook posts by other engagement editors: “Hey, everybody, what are you doing this weekend? Tell us about your plans.” 
In Nashville, the “only good news is real news” approach taken by this new editor, Beth Inglish, an artist not a journalist, caused concern when she wrote this on Facebook: “I really don’t like news that makes me feel sick to my stomach … and well that seems to be what our media in the U.S. likes to talk about. Why aren’t we working harder to lift up the community by focusing on positive role models instead of negative ones??”
A blogger at Nashvillescene.com responded:
“Is the news that made her sick to her stomach the tough accountability piece Anita Wadhwani wrote about problems with suicides in juvenile detention facilities? That was what led the paper on Friday.
“We can’t wait to see how Inglish is going to save journalism through being part of ‘a new model to connect with the community.’ Maybe all journalism needed was to stop hiring journalists for newsroom positions.”
An anonymous reader who chimed in turned up the snark meter several notches on the blog’s message board:

“Way to go, Newsroom of the Future, you have topped yourself. … There’s something fantastic and beautiful and horrifying about this. Because you basically just told every human being with eyes the following: ‘Seriously, we don’t give a sh– about news now or ever again. Seriously. Stories about murder, rape, crime, lawsuits, and governmental abuse no longer are part of what we do because all that adult stuff just hurts Beth Inglish’s tummy wummy. But stories about the great deals on chicken tenders at Kroger? Heck yes! GAME ON!’

“Question for Beth Inglish. How many newspapers have you ever read, like, ever? I mean, all the way through to the end and not just, like, the crossword puzzle which is, like, hard. Seriously. Take a minute and count. Use both hands if you need to. Say, how many stories have you ever written, for that matter? And how much do you know about the way government works or doesn’t work? It’s kinda complicated for an engagement editor like you. Do you know what a watchdog is?”

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