IC Speaker's Illustrate Importance of Online Journalism

by Aly Dixon

Last night, speakers Vanessa Schneider, an Ithaca College Alum, and Wes Siler talked about their success due to the web's rising role in journalism.

Schneider, who now works at NYTimes.com as a news assistant, graduated from Ithaca College in 2007, double majoring in Journalism and Culture and Communication. She talked about what steps she took in order to reach the successful position she now has: internships, contacts and experience she received through working at the Ithacan. However, Schneider essentially said she would not have the position she holds today if it were not for the technical skills she acquired through being familiar with the web.

When she received her job, 100 workers for the print version of the New York Times were laid off, she told us. She claimed that her youth came in handy in getting her job since with youth comes the general knowledge of how online technology is used, and the ability to adapt and to learn the inner workings of the Internet.

While Schneider was convincing in illustrating the importance of the Internet in journalism today, Siler was undeniably clear on his view of the web's increasingly influential role in journalism.

Siler is a Road Test Editor for Jalopnik.com, which is a part of Gawker Media. Along with this, he is the editor and co-founder of Hell for Leather Magazine, an online motorcycle magazine.

Siler claims that print journalism, magazines especially, are slowly dying, and digital journalism is the only place to be. His ending note was a peice of advice to us journalists: any teacher that tells you print journalism is the most important or most prevalent medium is not doing their job.

These speakers really made me start evaluating the direction journalism is going in. Should anyone with a desire to work at their favorite magazine or newspaper give up all hope? Print journalism has been around for so long that it is hard to imagine a world without it, but could it be possible that we are moving completely in that direction. One thing is for sure; if we weren't thinking about it before, we definitely should start.