Off The Written Path

      Back in 2007 Joel Achenbach maintained in “I Really Need You to Read This Article, Okay?” that the true spirit of journalism needed to shine through the concern about the failing business model. I agree with him when he wrote “Good writing remains good writing regardless of platform.” The concern of journalists then was that journalism on the web would turn into tabloid-like stories about pop stars and shark attacks, because those were the type of stories readers wanted. However,  he points out in his article that “Readers do have good judgement.”  I think that is the essence of what he was trying to say; journalists underestimate the reader. They believe that readers, like the vulgar masses in Rome, will be drawn to the gladiator fights in the arena. In reality I think that if journalists “collaborate” with readers, as Achenbach suggested, they will find that readers still want stories that matter, just not in the old way journalists have been telling them.