Lehrer to journalists: Calm down

Jim Lehrer, executive editor and anchor of the PBS NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, had some choice words for the growing "woe-is-me" journalist population out there.

"Calm down," he said at a recent talk at the University of Oklahoma.

Lehrer said that the rise of independent blogs, podcasts, cable television/radio shouting matches, and the like only makes traditional journalism - real, sound reporting - and the role of the editorial gatekeeper MORE important, and he predicts the industry will make a big comeback, according to the Huffington Post.

Again per the HuffPost: "People are busy, they want some professional, unbiased, un-agenda assistance in sorting through it all to help determine what is important before they go off to the editorial page or the commentators, or to be shouted at or entertained about it."

You know, in a lot of ways he's right. But the problem remains on how the news business can make money, especially as ink costs go up, advertisers pull back, and circulation continues to decline. Perhaps a non-profit/trust or new type of business model will become the best way to go when all is said and done. Time will tell.