Who would even want to be a news reporter in 2025?
A large chunk of the American public hates the media because their leader told them to. Jobs are becoming scarce, and the alternative – starting your own thing, like a Substack – has become a crowded field, and people have just so much to spend on subscriptions. Social media has become the source of news for practically everyone, and besides the problem of disinformation, the only people getting rich from that are the owners of the social media platforms (okay, Elon’s lost a bundle from that, but he has the option of getting government contracts and protecting them from the cuts he’s “suggesting”).
The glamour of the Woodward and Bernstein days (or the Walter Cronkite days, or the Ernie Pyle days) is long gone. If you’re just starting out, no, you don’t want to be a reporter.
Unfortunately, the news about the news continues to be, in a word, scary. You’ve undoubtedly seen the stories about AP getting banned from White House press conferences because it won’t go along with the President’s unilateral “renaming” of the Gulf of Mexico. You’ve also seen other news organizations issue indignant denunciations of the ban, but you haven’t seen them do anything else. They don’t want to walk out in support of AP, because they, too, might lose access to… well, to what? Press conferences?
Let’s talk about press conferences. After spending almost 30 years covering press conferences, I can tell you that most of them impart zero valuable information and that if you ask a tough but relevant question, you won’t get a clear or usable answer. Whether it’s a political press conference (this is one case where “both sides” applies – everyone does it) or a product launch or free agent signing or whatever else qualifies for a press conference, there’s usually nothing that couldn’t be shoved into a press release.
The only thing press conferences offer is access, and there’s nothing you can do with that access other than parrot what the press secretary or president or CEO says. Access journalism benefits the subject, not the reporter, unless said journalist writes a best-selling book a few years later (I’m guessing that most of those books end up remaindered within weeks).
Getting banned from press conferences should be a badge of honor, and other news organizations should stand up for their profession and walk out in solidarity.
But they don’t, because heaven forbid they lose access to ask insipid questions and get insipid responses. It raises questions about what, exactly, reporters and editors are being taught before they venture out into the world with a notepad and recorder. When they see their bosses meekly comply with ridiculous demands just to stay in the room, or “sanewash” stories to avoid one side or the other getting angry and canceling subscriptions, they’re not getting a very brave message from their superiors.
We’re living through insane times. With everything that’s happening, we need the truth more than ever, and, instead, the press is capitulating. We’re on our own. If that doesn’t scare you, nothing will.
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Perry Michael Simon is a weekly news media columnist for Barrett Media. He previously served as VP and Editor/News-Talk-Sports/Podcast for AllAccess.com. Prior to joining the industry trade publication, Perry spent years in radio working as a Program Director and Operations Manager for KLSX and KLYY in Los Angeles and New Jersey 101.5 in Trenton. He can be found on X (formerly Twitter) @PMSimon.
