The journalism crisis: can we manage without journalists?

Tamedia, the owner of the newspapers 24 heures, Tribune de Genève, and Le Matin dimanche, has announced significant job cuts. Welfare plans and cost-cutting measures are increasing in the media industry, both in Switzerland and abroad. To what extent? And, most importantly, can we manage without journalists? Laura Amigo, Post-doc at the Institute of Media and Journalism (IMeG) at Università della Svizzera italiana (USI) and co-author of a study on the relevance of journalism for the Federal Media Commission (COFEM), discussed this on RTS.

The information podcast "Le Point J" on Radio Télévision Suisse (RTS) featured Laura Amigo discussing the current state of journalism and the role of journalists in the world of information. During the interview, Laura Amigo first delved into the reasons behind the increasingly critical situation: "The traditional role of the media as the primary source of information in their broadcast area is being challenged as people now mainly consume information on social networks. Additionally, the various access points to information made possible by digital technology are causing the erosion of the traditional media business model, which is based on advertising and sales."

Due to this and other factors, public and private media groups are increasingly cutting jobs. There is also a growing disinterest and distrust in information and journalists. One consequence of this multidimensional crisis is the lack of journalists covering all regions of the country, which compromises the diversity of information and democracy. Additionally, the shortage of journalists affects the number of investigations published each year. "This presents an issue, as the public requires accurate, verified, and contextualised information to form opinions on current events and make informed decisions that affect their daily lives," Laura Amigo noted.

With the rise of the Internet and social networks, it seems that anyone can claim to be a journalist and perform their duties. However, for Laura Amigo, this is not possible. Journalists perform an essential job in producing information and, therefore, cannot be replaced by other content creators. There are specificities in how information is presented, verified, and explained that are inherent in the journalistic work method and ethics.

Lastly, journalism plays a democratic role in disseminating information, monitoring politicians, asking them for explanations of their choices so that citizens are informed, and checking whether they keep their election promises. Even when natural disasters occur, the media often serves as a reliable source of information, enabling the situation to be handled efficiently. A democratic, countervailing but also binding role: "Consuming information is also a social act. We have common references and thus develop a sense of belonging, even a shared identity with other members of society".

The full episode of the Le Point J podcast of 26 August, in French, is available by clicking here.