Journalists - an endangered species?
Monday, September 22nd, 2008 by Jon Clements 
The urge to save whales, turtles and mountain gorillas always benefits from the emotional impact humans feel when a species appears to be on its way out.
But when it comes to journalists, who’d've thought anyone outside the media world would care, never mind a Labour MP.
But Midlands MP, Mike O’Brien is bidding for a journalism conservation prize by accusing Trinity Mirror of “serious attacks on news, journalists and journalism” with its plans to cut jobs in Coventry and Birmingham.
It’s tough times making newspapers profitable and an alternative to keep quality journalism viable is, well, to forget the profit bit. Such is the idea of MinnPost, a Minnesota-based, not-for-profit news site that keeps journalism alive through reader donations rather than advertising alone, which - as founder Joel Kramer discusses on The Marketing Edge podcast - is no longer willing to fund quality news content.
Adopting a journalist to save them from extinction may not yet be necessary, but if ordinary people and MPs care enough to back their news gatherers that suggests a healthy society at work.
