Front Page Musings

   The latest chapter in the series on change in the news biz has to do with the breakup of The Tribune Company into separate print and broadcast entities. No surprise here, since it's been talked about for weeks, and reflects a corporate desire to go after lucrative broadcast ad revenue even as print operations struggle.
   One big question, of course, is whether major newspapers like the Chicago Tribune and the Los Angeles Times, both owned by The Tribune Company, will survive. The quick answer is, certainly they will. They will be different, however, since many folks get their news and views from television, and surf the Internet for breaking news as well as background information. And as TV operations broaden and attract more writers and reporters to the supposedly more glamorous world of broadcasting, print suffers not only from revenue losses, but also personnel losses -- some of which, of course, are self-inflicted as newspapers trim staff to save money.
   But that doesn't mean a soaring increase in out-of-work journalists. The delivery system has changed, but news gathering still starts with a reporter and a note pad.
   Processing the text is far more efficient than the days of typewriters, Linotype machines, compositors handling (literally) the type to make up pages, proofreaders, and others as the story made its way from the newsroom to the presses. Entire departments were eliminated by the advent of computers and computerized page makeup. And where once a major city daily would have 200 people working in the composing room and fewer than 50 in the newsroom, those numbers in many cases have been reversed. So, yes, the composing room had fewer printers union members working, but the newsroom had more reporters and editors.
   In addition, technology allowed more pages to be made up faster, so that meant more room for advertising. And that, of course, is what pays the publishing bills.
   As for jobs in journalism, the business has changed along with the technology. There may not be as many writing jobs available in hard-copy print media, but there are more in the electronic media. After all, writing still starts with a notebook and the ability to put words together -- spelled correctly.    Moreover, even as the several segments of the information industry compete for business -- print, broadcast and Internet -- it's important to remember that many folks don't have access to a computer, and many others prefer the tactile sensation of holding their information source. It also has the feel of being more permanent, and can't be changed by hackers.
   There is also a thing called "revenge editing," where someone with ill intent goes into a web site and deliberately changes textual references. Wikipedia has been battling this for years.
   And as NBC News reported tonight (Thursday), the Kremlin is looking to buy manual typewriters so they can return to hard copy data storage.