From the Newsstands: This story appeared in The Eagle's December 2024 print edition. You can find the digital version here.
The following piece is an opinion and does not reflect the views of The Eagle and its staff. All opinions are edited for grammar, style and argument structure and fact-checked, but the opinions are the writer’s own.
A few weeks ago, I grabbed dinner with a friend who had just landed a dream opportunity with The Washington Post. But, she then admitted that she may not pursue it as a career.
“We can’t make a living as journalists,” she said. Journalism, the spine of democracy, is dying. A yellow “dead end” sign came up ahead; we both walked right past it.
Worrying about the future is typical college student talk, but it is dangerous for students to be terrified to pursue careers essential for democracy. Journalists have held the government accountable since the country’s founding. Yet today, the profession is becoming a dead end with job insecurity, unlivable wages and public distrust for the media.
Journalism is the number one most regretted major, with a whopping 87 percent expressing regret. These statements are not unfounded, with 3,087 job cuts in the industry in 2023 and fresh layoffs continuing in January 2024. America has also lost two-thirds of newspaper journalism jobs since 2005. If these numbers aren’t enough to scare off prospective journalists, the unlivable wage will deter most of them. Around 60 percent of journalists in D.C. earn between $33,000 and $54,000, $40,000 short of a comfortable wage in the city.
These alarming statistics should never align with a profession so vital to our country. Without journalism, there would be limited access to reliable information. For example, reporting on the coronavirus pandemic provided transparency the American government lacked, saving lives.
Journalists give back to the community by exposing corrupt government activity. In San Juan County, Utah, a local journalist retrieved $109,500 for the community — three times his annual salary — by publishing a story that exposed a law firm for overcharging the county. In the city of Bell, California, the Los Angeles Times exposed officials that cost taxpayers millions through their inflated salaries.
Despite the clear numerical evidence of the value of journalism, people fail to realize the risks of its demise as fewer than half of Americans say they are confident in the media. We must shift this perception of journalism to an appreciation for the critical role it plays to lead to additional subscriptions and a more positive view of journalism to encourage aspiring journalists.
People need to understand the urgency of saving journalism that upholds the flow of knowledge in society, and it begins with valuing the profession and the major for its role in democracy and accountability.
Sara Shibata is a junior in the School of Public Affairs and School of Communication and a columnist for The Eagle.
This piece was edited by Alana Parker, Rebeca Samano Arellano and Abigail Turner. Copy editing done by Luna Jinks, Ella Rousseau, Emma Brown, Sabine Kanter-Huchting and Nicole Kariuki. Fact checking by Sasha Dafkova
