Is all money good money?

Credit to Google Images

Everyone loves money, some love it more than others, but the question is all money good money?

Well, this is a question individual journalists and news organizations have to think about when they are reporting. “Money is the root of all evil,” most will say, therefore one must be careful between making a profit and ethics. 

There are ways that journalists could make money and demonstrate good ethical reporting.

1. Advertisements 

I think advertisements are a great way to make money for a news organization as long as it applies to the actual reporting. For example, the 1619 project done by the New York Times is a great illustration of using advertisements to bring awareness about slavery. 

The story and ad should correlate, otherwise, the organization would seem a little unethical about their intentions. Kent argued that a good guideline for advertisements and reporting is defining what you will and will not allow. As individual journalists or news organizations have to be careful about what they choose to advertise. Because that image could harm their reputation.  

2. Premium Subscriptions 

I think subscriptions are fair when it comes to making money and good reporting because they are fairly cheap to subscribe. But with having those subscriptions I think the news organization has to have a versatile look to make news consumers have the urge to subscribe to. That's the importance of first-person essays, art visuals, podcasts, advice columns, etc.

Now, I think for individual journalists, before they add premium subscriptions I think it's important to build viewers’ content first. I don’t mind paying for news subscriptions, but what do you all think?

Overall, there are more ways that journalists/news organizations can make money and still show ethical guidelines. 

However, there is a shift in traditional reporting, and I do think organizations should push into further content, such as; podcasts, videos, merch, etc. Simply because as Saidi mentioned that with decreasing attention spans and wavering trust of the media, podcasts are bringing in consumers with their mix of commentary.  

Now, I am curious if others believe that traditional reporting is dead? Has everyone fallen into the digital media realm?