Media (r)evolution?

After a brief tour of the offices of Newsweek, we met and discussed the role of the media with an all-star cast of reporters and editors. Stranger than the sight of 12 near-adults huddling around each other looking star-struck was having middle-aged professionals looking to us for inspiration. Nearly every staff member asked us, sometimes quite pointedly, "How can print media be relevant in the internet age?"

I cannot imagine a computer science class visiting Bill Gates only to be asked, "So, do you guys know how to fix Vista?" News media professionals fear that the entire industry of long-term reporting will vanish within the year like so many medium-sized newspapers already have.

With the Tribune Company - one of the nation's largest media conglomerates - declaring Chapter 11 bankruptcy in December, The New York Times putting its $225 million skyscraper up as collateral to offset loans and the McClatchy newspaper chain assuming $5.5 billion in debt, it is no wonder that newspaper professionals are looking for new models. In the midst of their own financial crisis, newspapers and magazines are trying to reach larger and younger audiences.

Assuming newspapers can harness the revenue-earning potential of the internet - which everyone from pornographers and video gamers to people with crap in their closets have done - they will have to deal with an existential crisis. "What, with of all the technologies available, should newspapers be?"

The websites of print media titans are exploding with content ranging from text, podcasts, audio slideshows, interactive maps, timelines and, increasingly, video. In an attempt to keep up with the frantic pace of a 24-hour news cycle, these organizations are trying everything to see what works. But they might be better served by taking a slower approach, saving money and focusing on quality over quantity.

I respect the experimental nature of their organizations, but much of the content lacks the high-quality production value of radio programs or television. For example, the recent Nicholas Kristof video on The New York Times website titled "The Face of Slavery", is a story that raises moral questions and gives voice to an abused minority. The video, however, lacks the narrative depth that an issue this complex would normally receive on "60 Minutes". Even Kristof's narration is halting and unnatural and small things like poor lighting, bad exposure and scratchy audio detract from an otherwise great story.

The reality is that not every reporter, columnist and photographer has the camera presence to make their behind the scenes story worth hearing. Without great reporting and high production quality readers will not have an interest in subscribing to online content or clicking through ads.

It would be nice if every staff reporter for Time or Newsweek could be an "all-of-the-above" journalist who masters every form of media, but the reality is that those are disparate skill sets that require lots of time and training. Contrary to my colleague Adam Bradlow '11's thesis, we're far from the end of experts: We need them more than ever.

Journalists - the few who survive the imminent collapse of major news organizations - should not try to master every aspect of production but rather specialize in their niche while working closely with experts in other fields. Great reporters should continue to seek out interesting stories and pursue the truth, but they should leave video production and photography to professionals.

Several organizations are very successful in linking various forms of media together in a meaningful way. Perhaps most notably is Brian Storm of Media Storm. His production company works with reporters, photographers and nonprofits to create moving stories with the production value of a big-budget documentary. My personal favorite is a video titled "Marlborough Man" about an Iraq war veteran struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder. The video features stunning photography, links to a well-written article and groups that help veterans of war.

I do not think that there is any one answer to this question. Perhaps The New York Times will get rid of all its video, call it a failed experiment and rely solely on breaking news. Other papers might try to have smaller staffs with reporters who can write, shoot video, collect audio, edit and create interactive online media. But no matter what model emerges triumphant, I feel that the reporting accuracy of newspapers, narrative style of video and interactive nature of the internet will combine to reinvent news.

Michael Collins is a sophomore from Glastonbury, Conn. He can be reached at mjcollin@princeton.edu.