Methodology

The available literature on new media issues has grown substantially in the past year. These articles helped to frame the discussions in this paper, and they have provided examples that will be cited frequently. In addition, I've conducted several interviews with working journalists and media critics to discern the precise nature of their role and learn how changing technology has affected their work. I sought participants with varied levels of experience in different media, and I sent each person a list of questions through an exchange of e-mail. After compiling their answers, I developed a short list of follow-up questions and again sought answers via e-mail. The questionnaires sent to each participant are listed in Appendix A.

The participants in the interviews have been promised anonymity and will be identified in this paper only by descriptions of their jobs and professional experience. Each participant was asked to give a brief professional history. Full answers, with identifying characteristics deleted and replaced by generic terms in parentheses, are listed in Appendix B.1 Following are short descriptions of the participants with the names by which they will be identified in the text of the paper:

Quotes from interview participants will be accompanied by a footnote giving a brief reminder of the participant's background.

The evidence used in this paper does not constitute a scientific survey of journalists' attitudes. Though some studies cited in the paper are statistically valid, the bulk of the evidence gathered here is intended as a sampling of issues related to the changing role of journalists.