My out-of-office conversations with fellow journalists have, of late, usually followed the same routine: 'How are you, what do you want to drink, do you still have a job and where on Earth do you think this profession is headed?' The formalities over with, the talk huddles down to that uncertain latter point. This is, after all, the crux of it all. The rule book for gathering and delivering news is fast being torn apart by the internet and portable media devices. And the profession is unsure what to do.
The dilemma has been brought forcefully home twice to me in recent days. Searching for the best news and views on political developments in Iran, I have found the traditional media sources wanting. Part of that is down to a clampdown on foreign journalists reporting from that country, but my expectations have also been raised by the immediacy created by new technologies. Time and again I have turned to blogs, particularly that of US-based British political commentator, author and gay activist Andrew Sullivan. They have generally proved more insightful, variable of opinion and in some cases, up to date.
My younger son's school was shut down on Tuesday because of swine flu. A news flash caught my ears on Wednesday afternoon that the number of students confirmed as having the virus had multiplied 10-fold. An immediate phone call home, in part intended to show my son just how beneficial working in a busy newsroom can be, was met with disinterest. 'I found that out three hours ago through Facebook,' he informed me.
Journalists used to be on the cusp of news. They had access to all manner of up-to-the-minute information that only people directly involved in those events would have insight into. There was a sense of privilege - of being a step or two ahead of the people on the street. That has been eroded by computers, Blackberries, mobile phones and whatever else is portable and has an LCD screen and internet connectability.
Media owners have been taken aback as much as journalists. Advertising drives their profits and there are now many more ways to advertise, some of them free. Newspaper proprietors face the biggest dilemma - profits have fallen dramatically and a formula has yet to be found that can generate the same kind of income through internet platforms. Up-to-the minute news can be had on any number of websites, eliminating the need to pay, visit a newsstand or take out a subscription.
Then there is environmentalism. Growing forests for newsprint, running energy-eating presses and using fuel-guzzling vehicles and planes for distribution of a product that usually ends up in the rubbish does not sit well in a world focused on cutting pollution and waste. There are no such concerns with screens.
