Signs of the times: The fading newspaper

I still get a newspaper delivered each day in a bright green Boston Globe tube at the end of my driveway. The day just doesn't seem right without a look at the sports section, the front page, the editorial page, and even a couple of other sections.

But newspaper circulation is in decline everywhere in the U.S. with the rise of the Internet as a news medium and as a better way for advertisers to deliver returns on their investments. A recent blog post on BNET paints an even darker picture for the newspaper industry. I alluded to this last month after the Los Angeles Times fired its editor after he refused to follow management orders and cut $4 million from the newsroom budget.

The writer of the BNET post, David Weir, also mentions how industry veterans are anxious about what they should do with their skills. To me, it's quite simple: Go web, or take your writing and editing skills into another arena. Unless you embrace the web as the primary news medium of the future, take an inventory of your skills and start working on your resume.

And if you fear making that move over to the electronic side, take it from me: It's worth the switch!

I welcome any feedback or requests for career advice from any journalists, no matter where you are in your career.

Pongo enters the blogosphere!

Hey! My company now has a blog presence! Check out our insights and musings on the key components of the job search and career management: resumes, cover letters, interviewing, and work/life issues. See you on the Pongo Blog!

Is reading dead? Or dying?

In the early 1980s, when I was a daily newspaper reporter, USA Today made its debut and revolutionized the industry. Say what you might about it (e.g., lots of glitz, not enough depth), but while many of my contemporaries back then were scoffing, I looked at it and concluded: "What's the problem? Their pages are colorful and attractive to the eye. And their stories are shorter and easier to digest." Clearly, the paper's owner, Gannett, put reader habits ahead of trying to come off as an authority in the realm of newspaper journalism.

That said, USA Today was responding not only to the habits of readers, but American society as a whole. We are a nation of short attention spans that, for the most part, has eschewed deep thought for the quick message. Political campaigns and political commentary focus more on sound bites and slogans (Remember KISS -- Keep It Simple Stupid -- in the 1992 presidential campaign?) and loud, mostly meaningless chatter that may make for great theater, but doesn't inspire anyone to think about the real issues.

Taking this issue deeper, think about kids who would rather spend an hour watching YouTube than reading a book. Even when you're applying for a job, the hiring manager will probably spend 15 seconds looking at your resume before deciding whether to call you in for an interview. And that's if he or she gets the resume in the first place. Now, businesses have software that scan resumes for keywords. Don't have enough of them? Sorry! You don't have a chance!

But that's our society today, like it or not. Skeptical? Try reading this piece from Killian Advertising and tell me whether you agree.