News without journalists: Real threat or horror story?

Abstract

Journalism as a profession and know-how is caught up in a whirlwind of changes.  The end of the newspaper would not automatically mean the end of journalism or of journalists, but it is difficult to imagine how the institution ́s collapse could occur without triggering an earthquake in the definition and practice of journalism.  Journalism as a professional culture with codified abilities and characteristics runs the risk of being diluted and transformed into the vague continuum of those who are already known as “information workers”.  This article will suggest how several contemporary trends are challenging and redefining journalistic practice.  The objective of this article is to advocate the possibility of defining the journalist as someone who collects facts that are not on a screen in his office, as someone who talks to the audiences that are not just consumers and as someone who maintains sufficient autonomy to practice the skills of a critical verifier of the news.