'Barnet Press' journalists hold 'Death of Local Journalism' rally, and broadcast through the ether on the wireless

Link to journalists' web site

"The Grim Reaper, a priest, pall-bearers carrying a coffin and more than a hundred mourners took part in a mass demonstration through Enfield Town at lunchtime today.

"Journalists on strike at the North London & Herts branch of Tindle Newspapers are taking two weeks’ action over a lack of staff and resources, leaving them unable to provide quality newspapers."

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From Wikipedia: According to The Elements of Journalism, a book by Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel, there are nine elements of journalism. In order for a journalist to fulfill their duty of providing the people with the information, they need to be free and self-governing. They must follow these guidelines:

1. Journalism's first obligation is to the truth.
2. Its first loyalty is to the citizens.
3. Its essence is discipline of verification.
4. Its practitioners must maintain an independence from those they cover.
5. It must serve as an independent monitor of power.
6. It must provide a forum for public criticism and compromise.
7. It must strive to make the news significant, interesting, and relevant.
8. It must keep the news comprehensive and proportional.
9. Its practitioners must be allowed to exercise their personal conscience.

Current state of journalism: Even in more optimistic scenarios, no one has a business model to sustain digital journalism beyond a small number of self-supporting services. The attempts of newspapers to shift their operations online have been commercial failures, as they trade old media dollars for new media pennies. ... The Internet can help democratize our media and politics. But it does not replace skilled journalists on the ground covering the events of the day, and doing investigative reporting. Indeed, the Internet cannot achieve its revolutionary potential as a citizens’ forum without such journalism.

The collapse of journalism and the democratic infrastructure it sustains is not a development that anyone, except perhaps corrupt politicians and the interests they serve, looks forward to. Such a crisis demands solutions equal to the task.

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