Thomas (Class of 1996) believes that despite the layoffs of print newspaper staffs taking place all over the country due to declining subscriptions newspapers will be arou
nd in the near future because of dedicated readers and exceptional stories.“We just have to keep finding ways to win over readers, and the most honest way to do that is to continue cranking out top-notch journalism.” Thomas says.
“What’s great about newspapers is that they plug you into what’s happening in the world around you without needing to be connected to any wires or gadgetry,” he adds. “They are a momentary respite from a maddeningly digital world.”
Thomas has seen the change in the industry firsthand. He began his career with the BJ as a part-time sports statistician during his freshman year at Kent State. The job became a full-time position after he graduated. Thomas left the Akron Beacon Journal for a short time to pursue other career options, but returned in 1998 as a copy editor and was promoted to national editor in 2001.
Thomas said he became interested in Kent State when he attended Journalism and Mass Communications Press Day at the university while he was in high school. It was here he met his future mentor, Associate Professor and News Coordinator Barb Hipsman-Springer, wife of BJ editorial writer Bob Springer.
“Barb became a great mentor and friend who helped me get my foot in the door at the Beacon and also steered me toward several scholarships. After I had graduated and gained several years of professional experience, Barb recruited me to come back to Kent State as an adjunct instructor.”
Despite the dismal outlook for the future of newspaper journalism, Thomas says the Akron Beacon Journal’s readers inspire his positive perspective.
“I don’t think newspapers are in danger of disappearing in the near future. Some 280,000 people read the Beacon Journal each day — and by that measure, we’re far from irrelevant.”
Click on the headline to read the full story by public relations student Alison Turner.
Not to rain on anyone's parade, but with half the newsroom of a decade ago, this smacks of whistling through the graveyard.
ReplyDeleteI feel for those who are left to row the boat with half the oarsmen & oarswomen gone.
John's right. My family subscribes to the print edition and I enjoy it with breakfast every day. But "without needing to be connected to any wires or gadgetry?” Are you serious? Come on, man. You're young. You work the national wire, for goodness sake. Does that still come in over a telegraph?
ReplyDeleteI like inky fingertips as much as the next journo, but I also like reading the news on my Ohio.com iPhone app when I don't feel like trudging through the snow for the paper on a cold morning.
No thanks on the "respite."