I experienced a whirlwind of activity around social media, journalism and work life balance last week. Every door of my career as a hybrid journalist (providing content across many mediums) was knocking.

Separating the wheat from the chaff was a chaotic, but creative dance. From participating on a panel on the Brave New World of Journalism and Media, to my own contemplative journey as a journalist, I came to one conclusion – journalism is evolving at the speed of light and we either adapt to change in every moment – or we perish.

It’s a Brave New World Thanks to the Internet

Last week I sat on a panel discussion on The Brave New World of Journalism and Media at CUNY for the American Society of Journalists and Authors. Among the panelists; Professor Leonard Witt of Kennesaw State University, Rene Ebersol of Audubon Magazine, Media consultant Brian Reich, Nick Penniman of the Huffington Post and author Christine Henrichs. We debated the direction of  journalism 2.o. Here’s the end story in a few points:

• The internet has clearly changed the business model of news distribution – but some fear it will change the quality of journalism.
• Will the general public be willing to pay for quality journalism? No answer to this one yet. But there is a thirst for good investigative journalism.
• How does one define good journalism? Kind of subjective.
• The rise of the citizen journalist. The jury is out on the impact of this phenomenon. 
• For laid off journalists, freelancing is the best option and work life balance might be compromised unless you’ve got great time management skills.
• The line between citizen journalism and professional journalism is blurred, as is the line between journalist and expert.

For two hours we toyed with new business models and the outmoded ones. We tinkered with how we were going to survive in the Internet age. There was talk on where we came from, where we’re going, and in fact if there will be a financially sustainable place to rest our hats. Who will govern good journalism and who will pay for it?

It was a nostalgic and contemplative night for me. Which had me talking about my evolution in news as I was reminded of a story from long ago.

Before the Brave New World of Journalism, there was Watergate

My interest in journalism was sparked with the traditional newspaper, (still fond of the paper version of the Sunday New York Times). My journey and development as a reporter subsequently included rip and read wire copy when I started in television (pre-computer era.) But even before I hit the newsroom, a life changing evening influenced my interest in news, right out of the gate, if you will.

I remember like it was yesterday, really. My mother was yelling from the bottom of the stairs, “Girls, come down, history is being made on TV.”  I wasn’t even ten years old, but I raced down the winding stairs to the den with my little sister in tow, in our pajamas. And then it happened. The words were spoken. On a black and white television, my family watched and listened.

“I shall resign the presidency effective at noon tomorrow,” said then President Richard Nixon. We had studied what was happening to our nation in social studies. I understood, even as a child, that two newspaper journalists, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein had in essence, taken down an administration. It was their tireless 24/7 reporting which flew in the face of any type of work life balance, that changed history. 

That slice of the past, and subsequently the work of Barbara Walters and many Sunday’s watching Sunday Morning and 60 Minutes on CBS in my footie pajamas, formed the foundation of my journalistic instincts and thirst for a good story. Fast forward a few decades and mediums later, and it’s abundantly clear that journalism, let alone broadcast journalism, has transformed into a new animal. I wonder how the Internet or even cable might have influenced – or not – Woodward’s and Bernstein’s approach. What if Reliable Sources with Howard Kurtz was around back then?

Has Journalism really changed or are we just witnessing the evolution of distribution toward an unknown end? From just a hand full of newspaper conglomerates competing for advertising dollars, to on-line media stretching their content for eyeballs, in the 11th hour we’re scrambling to erect a new business model for news within the playground of the few which have survived. Maybe we need to make some sort of evolutionary leap into a brand new model.

What will this brave new world look like for news and journalism in general, and again, who’s going to pay for it?  Tomorrow, I’ll share my work life tips on surviving as a journalist in the brave new world.

Professor Robert Licata

Robert Licata had a pistol of a sense of humor. I used to sit in his office, close the door, year after year - and he would tear into my daily complaints with a witty breath of fresh air. He’d give me a dose of sympathy and then change the subject to the latest breaking news story or tell me about the next vacation he was planning with his wife Paula.

A consumate journalist and professor at Hofstra University,  (click here to read the article in Newsday) he carried his love of news media into the classroom. Today a bunch of us old news buddies exchanged stories about Robert with some of his students. He was probably alongside us,  listening in as our conversations, not surprisingly - lead to the media landscape.

In huddled groups, many of us discussed Robert’s love of media and in fact that even in his passing, media played a role. News of Robert’s departure spread like wildfire as students and colleagues remembered Robert on Facebook and even Twitter. I think he would have gotten a kick out of that. He had a dry sense of humor.

Media was Robert’s canvas and the meat of entertaining conversations. Politics, the arts, his brother’s showbiz antics in LA, the direction of media in our ever-changing world were topics of interest. That along with whether he approved of my hairstyle on any particular day. The guy had a good eye and knew a lot - about a lot of things. His mind and heart flowed with creative juices. And when he moved from News 12 Long Island to teach at Hofstra, he shared his wisdom with countless students who benefitted from his experience. As his wife Paula has described him, “He was a good man with a good heart.”

Now, in remembering Robert and his legacy, Hofstra University has set up a special fund in his name: The Professor Robert Licata Memorial Scholarship

You can make a contribution on line at  www.hofstra.edu/giving. Be sure to designate his fund, when you fill out the donor information. It only took me a few minutes to complete. There’s more information to mail a contribution to Hostra at Laurie Bloom’s Facebook site. She was a colleague and friend who called Robert one of ” God’s kindest, funniest, most unique masterpieces.”

May you have a safe journey my friend, you will be greatly missed.

Greetings and Happy Thanksgiving to my fellow career or worklife bloggers. I’m actually working in the newsroom tonight but had some thoughts about what I have learned recently from a few of you who pound the keys to inspire on the topic of worklife balance.

Here are links to a few pearls of wisdom to get you off the couch after the big meal and give you a jump-start toward a more meaningful worklife. There are so many more – but I’m off to work!

Thanks to Priscilla Palmer for her Personal Development List which turned us on to each other in a brand new insightful way.

Thanks to Mel at Monday Morning Power for his intuitive disposition and collective way of bringing a voice of reason to the blogosphere.

Thanks to Curt Rosengren at Map Maker for his courage to ride against the tide through sweeping change.

Thanks to Adam Kayce at Monk at Work for his tight Monkifestos which lays out simple principles to help people to work from the heart.

Thanks to Tim Ferriss for his 4-Hour Workweek which offered lots of fodder for discussion in the 24/7 world we live in.

Thanks to Cali Yost at Work Life Fit for being a trailblazing pioneer in the elusive quest for worklife balance.

Thanks to Gretchen Rubin at Happiness Project for her 12 Commandments and her post on identifying your triggers.

Thanks to David Bohl at Slow Down Fast for his kind nature and ability to not just listen to those around him, but hear.

Thanks to Edward Mills at Evolving Times for his 11 Tips to Lighten Up the Compulsively Serious and his wisdom on conscious evolution.