The American Journalism Review piece last week --- the one that said journalists are not to blame for the ailment of the industry --- has predictably caught fire. While Roy Greenslade of the Guardian agreed, Jeff Jarvis of Buzzmachine has lambasted the concept as an example of victimhood. He blames the media for not reacting soon enough to change it knew was headed.
Both are right in their own way. Journalists often think they're responsible for solving the business issues of their craft, but there's only so much they can do. On the other hand, the notion that the challenges of the business are someone else's problem is a problem in itself.
Unquestionably more could have been done --- and could be done --- for journalists to figure out how to find audiences in the digital sphere. There has been far too much insularity in the craft. It took too long to get even a basic discussion on this going, much less get the training and equipment necessary to compete.
It's an open question, though, on whether journalists were capable of (or should be tasked with) solving anything beyond that --- or whether others should be taking responsibility for that large piece of the puzzle. I don't think that virtuous circle --- building good content that finds an audience that finds revenue that finds money for better content --- is a dated concept. It just needs attention.
