The survival of journalism

I read an excellent article today, As Journalism evolves, mission is strong, by Martin Kaiser, editor of the Journal Sentinel and president of the American Society of News Editors.

He made several great points about the future of journalism and how technology is changing our industry, but his charge to us as journalists, no matter how our profession is changing and evolving, is to "never lose sight of the values that got us here."

"The best journalists will always be, first and foremost, storytellers -- telling stories that uncover new information and shine a light where there was once darkness. All the technology in the world won't change that."

He ended with the following statement:

"What matters is the survival of journalism ... reported journalism ... evidence-based journalism ... journalism that tells the truth, with an ethnical foundation and connectedness to the communities it serves."

And that, my friends, is what will ultimately set us apart from all the "chatter" on the Internet.