Arthur Browne, former editor-in-chief of the New York Daily News, said that he is troubled by the state of local news in an event hosted by the Communications and Media Studies Department.
Browne retired from his post at the Daily News in December, where he said he saw local news threatened by a changing industry. He told Fordham students that local news will remain in serious jeopardy unless there are alterations made to the current economic models.
“Local news is dying across the country. It does not make money on the web,” Browne said. “The model as it’s now practiced is simply not sustainable.”
Newspapers like the Daily News have fundamentally changed because of the Internet, according to Browne.
In the past, people purchased newspapers to read about what was happening in their local communities. Browne said that meant people would consistently buy the same publication because of something they liked about it.
Brown said that in the past, people were more loyal to a specific newspaper but that has recently changed.
Today, most people get their news through online searches, according to Browne. He said that means readers pay less attention to which publication they are reading.
“They don’t care whether you’re the Daily News or The New York Times,” he said.
Browne said that the internet has widened the gap between readers and publications.
“The connection between the publication and the reader is being weakened, if not severed,” he said.
Publications have been forced to cut down the number of local reporters as a result of the digital age, according to Browne.
He said the change can be seen at Daily News, where there has been a significant decrease in local reporters since his time as city editor, a position he served in until 2003. This has happened at other newspapers as well, according to Browne. He said the New York Times has seen significant cuts in its Metro section reporters.
Browne said these changes have had important consequences. He gave the example that there is no longer a reporter assigned to cover the courthouses in the Bronx and Queens, which he considers significant due to the large populations of the two boroughs.
Browne said he is worried about the effects of having fewer reporters covering local issues will be.
“You just don’t know what’s going to happen…when the press isn’t there, it makes a difference,” he said.
During his time at The Daily News, Browne contributed to a series of editorials about the lingering health effects that 9/11 had on first responders. He said those editorials helped to change laws, and that this work would not be possible today at the Daily News.
Browne said his time as editor-in-chief, until his retirement last December, made him aware that cutbacks in the number of reporters hurt both the community and the bottom line of the publication.
He said that producing original content is the only way for newspapers to succeed.
“If you add more, you will make more money,” he said.
Browne said he hopes that local newspapers will add staff in the same way that the New York Times and the Washington Post have added staff to cover national issues. That is the way for newspapers to become profitable again, according to Browne.
“I believe, with the right investment, it could work,” he said.
However, in the past year, local publications faced challenges. Billionaire owner Joe Ricketts shut down local publications DNAinfo and Gothamist after reporters tried to unionize. Previously, the two publications had been a source for local city news.
Browne said it was important to speak to Fordham students because of its significant journalism school and because of the university’s city location.
“If there’s something I can do to add to their knowledge, I’m quite happy to do it,” he said.
Browne also addressed what makes for good training for journalism students. He said a well-rounded education gives reporters a greater perspective.
“The more well-rounded the education, the better the journalists are going to be,” he said.
Browne also said it is important for all Fordham students to understand how the press works. He said the press is essential to American society.
“The press is a major force in American culture,” he said. “America would not be America without a free press.”
Browne said he thinks that means it should be studied in college courses.
“Learning the internal operations of the press, the thought processes of newspapers and magazines…it’s an important set of information for everyone to know in the same way that they understand how the branches of government work,” he said.
Tags: Arthur Browne, Joergen Ostensen, New York Daily News
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