Ask the Recruiter

Thank you for all the great advice you offer.

I've been a reporter for 14 years. I love the world of reporting, and I love going to work each day. But after hearing the news that The Cincinnati Post and The Kentucky Post are stopping publication on Dec. 31, I question how much longer print reporters will have jobs.

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Is there a future in newspapers?

If so, what can reporters do to ensure they have marketable skills?

Thank you,

Tereasa

Yes, there is a future for newspapers -- and for you. But that future will be best for people who do not think of themselves narrowly as print reporters.

I expect print publications to be around for a long time, but the growth will occur in new media, niche products and emerging audiences. Those who cannot adapt to change will, indeed, feel their world closing in. So remain a committed journalist, but not a limited one. Learn to report for the Web: Blog, write scripts, shoot video and capture audio. Also learn to communicate graphically and in the dozens of new ways that are coming our way.

Joe Grimm

We could have a separate discussion about what is happening with The Cincinnati Post and The Kentucky Post and the people who are doing some heroic and heartrending work to carry through the year. But these closings are rooted in the 1977 creation of a Joint Operating Agreement designed to save The Cincinnati Post and The Kentucky Post, which were declared at that time to be failing. These newspapers are not victims of the digital age.

I expect there will be some casualties among newspapers, but the real media story of the 21st century is likely to be one of transformation, expansion and democratization. You want to be part of that.

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Coming Monday: A j-school student lands an internship at a large newspaper, only to find the newsroom wracked with worry. Online has provided a bright spot, and she wonders about switching.

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