ARE JOURNALISTS STILL IN DEMAND?

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by Tom Choy

Vancouver, BC
                                                        


I spotted Wolf Blitzer on CNN donning this teeshirt that shouts "THE WORLD NEEDS JOURNALISTS," and it sort of piqued my interest. Is there a shortage of journalists? Is the demand for journalists vanishing?

Hossein Derakshan, a research affiliate at MIT Media Lab and a research fellow at Harvard's Shorenstein Center said "the news is dying, but journalism will not--and should not."

I used to have NewYork Times subscription but with the advent and shall we say, saturation of social media, from Twitter to Facebook to Instagram, one's sources of news can be obtained without spending hundreds of dollars.

The business model of major news outlets like New York Times, Washington Post and some other newspapers has morphed from getting physical subscription to digital one. They let you read the papers for free until they start asking you for nominal fees to open their web portal news reports.



                                                        Wolf Blitzer of CNN News

Some Twitter posts are like news items. Even amateur or journalists wannabees who post news articles allow us to consume news without subscribing.

Definitely there is still a need to get journalists who will gather news from the source. We need White House reporters who can supply TV and newspaper and Twitter feeds for us to consume.

For Derakshan, "Innovation in journalism should not only be about business models or technology, it should be also about radically new cultural forms and representation formats."

Wolf Blitzer and Anderson Cooper are just two of the longest running journalists/ TV anchormen who still command wide viewerships. We need to develop young and talented journos to take their place someday.



                                            Ray Ann Fuentes, the singing Pastor of Surrey, BC

Ray Ann Fuentes, the singing Pastor from Surrey, BC recently caught Covid. His wife Mei Ling, a former singer of the popular Philippine musical group The New Minstrels and their 3 children got infected with the covid virus. 

Ray Ann was hospitalized including a brief ICU stay. The three children are recuperating while Mei Ling is still intubated and sedated. Ray Ann prays for her recovery everyday and asks his relatives and friends to pray for her as well.

"My friend calls me Braveheart," declares Ray Ann on Facebook. But, he continues, "I am more like a Sadheart."

Joey Albert(Pacis) encourages Ray Ann "to be more of a Braveheart" for Mei Ling's recovery. As of this writing Mei Ling is still not out of harm's  way.  

We need to continue praying for Mei Ling's recovery. Canada is estimating that by September 2021 every Canadian who wants the vaccine will get one. Right now, the first responders and seniors above 80 get the first vaccine shipments from Pfizer and Moderna. Then, the younger people and everyone who needs the vaccine will get their doses. We still need to wash our hands thoroughly, social distance, wear face masks and avoid attending parties outside of our immediate family. We can have a more traditional Christmas and New Year's Eve celebrations end of 2021 hopefully.


(Tom writes for Entertainment Tonight Manila and is based in Vancouver, BC Canada)


                          







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