Brainstorming the purpose of journalism at the JR3 workshop

This article was first published by the Knight Lab at Northwestern University and has been republished with permission from the authors

Journalistic training emphasises that our societies NEED journalism, but it’s fair to ask if anyone actually NEEDS the journalism we’re currently getting.

Many people worldwide are not asking 'if' they need today’s journalism – they're showing they don't: 40 per cent "often or sometimes avoid the news these days," according to the latest Digital News Report (42 per cent in the US, 46 per cent in the UK, and over 60 per cent in some other countries).

Too often, traditional journalism fails to consider the needs and emotions of its audience, or the role news is supposed to play in their lives. Journalists limit themselves to reporting "what happens" without concern for what people are "supposed to do" with the information.

Traditional news leaves many people overwhelmed by its volume and negativity. Reporters move from story to story in a cycle of overproduction, leaving no space for the questions that truly matter: "Why do we do what we do? What is journalism for?"

Working in journalism is not easy and, especially lately, not always enjoyable: journalism's crisis is no secret. But, too often, conversations about ‘saving journalism’ focus on the symptoms, not the sickness.

Outdated business models, failed distribution systems, and a poor understanding of evolving communication modes are symptoms.

The sickness is that for too long, we did not focus on the people we serve. We ignored their existence, or at best reduced their humanity to a set of soulless metrics. The relationship deteriorated, and now it’s mostly broken.

However, we can heal this relationship through an intentional effort to reimagine what journalism can be: what its purpose is, what it means to do journalism, and what journalistic products are.

With the JR3 project, we aim to support the healing process. JR3 stands for 'Rethink,........

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