American journalism began in 1960, and since then, it has been used to uncover the truth and inform the public with the information they need to go throughout their daily lives, and make decisions. Among other purposes that journalism holds, the news that journalists cover keep us informed on the events and changes occurring in the world.

Traditionally, Americans would rely on newspapers to provide them with the daily news. Now, the internet has taken its place.

Journalism has become a declining field, and the demand for journalists is not as high as it has been in the past. According to Danielle Smith, Keystone State News, she explained, “a report from the Georgetown University Center on Education and Workforce found the number of journalism jobs will continue to decline over the next decade. It says more than one-third of journalism jobs will be lost by 2031. The survey found job losses for journalists are the result of decades of decline, primarily due to newspaper downsizing and closures”.

With the use of the internet and social media platforms, newspapers are no longer the main source of news for many people.

Bernie Ankney, dean of the School of Communication at Point Park University, stated the “newspaper industry has been struggling for over 30 years because advertising that once supported a daily newspaper has gone away”.

With the decline in the newspaper industry, publishers have also been leaving this field of work. Instead, journalists are shifting to online and audio forms of news.

Smith stated, “the survey found employment by newspaper publishers has fallen 63%. But employment has increased up to six times what it once was in internet publishing, broadcasting, and online search portals”.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported, “the number of total newspaper jobs (including all rolls, not just news gathering) decreased to 174,000 from 412,000 between the years 2001 and 2016”.

Nowadays, it’s more important for journalists to know the industry and not only how to write, but know how to edit with audio and video in order to reach a larger audience.

Another research center reported, “an overall 23% decrease in journalism jobs between 2008 and 2019. This decline was primarily attributed to the print news sector, which saw a 51% decrease from 71,000 to 35,000 jobs since 2008. TV, radio, and online news saw a 9% increase from 43,000 and 53,000 jobs during the same period”, according to Giga Fact.

Because the internet is the most common source of news, “few Americans today hold print subscriptions, and newspapers have struggled to amass digital subscribers. Meanwhile, news consumers have become less inclined to follow local sources of news, instead preferring to read, listen, and watch content from outlets focused on national news coverage”, stated the Brookings Media Team.

According to the Pew Research Center, “between 2008 and 2018, the newspaper industry experienced a 68% drop in advertising revenue”.

Back then, Americans relied on the daily newspaper to provide them with what was happening in the news. Now, our phones and computers have access to many news sources. With mostly everything becoming a digital version, newspapers and other older forms of news are becoming less popular.

With the shift from a paper form news to digital, it can come with its down and up sides, especially with the growth and advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Because of the rise of AI recently, experts wonder if AI will ever replace journalists. Some companies are even pushing AI as a tool to help support journalists, stated Carole Guirado and Joseph Boyle.

However, this comes with its down sides because a machine doesn’t know everything a human does. “A machine can generate news for you announcing the declines in the stock market around the world, but it will not be able to tell you why. A human knows that it is due to the conflict in Ukraine”, stated Sofia Gonzalez.

Even though some may think journalism will eventually go away, and statistics may show a decline in the demand for journalists, journalism plays such an important role in our society. If it were to go away completely, our world would be ignorant and uninformed about the government and world news.

A journalist’s job is to stay on the lookout for information and stories that are significant for the public to know about. They also make sure the government and other institutions are acting with the public’s interest in mind. Without the role of journalist, those with power can mistreat the population.

The role of a journalist is very important, and we should continue to value the work they do for our country. Though journalism has changed over the years, and will most likely change more in the future, it will not lose its purpose and importance.