Loth and Hume Debate the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of the Legacy Newspaper Business in the U.S.

CMDS hosted Boston Globe columnist and ArchitectureBoston editor Renée Loth on May 7. Loth, one of the highest ranking women in American newspapers, shared her perspective “from the front lines” offering fascinating observations on the impact that the digital transformation has had on American journalism. “When I started,” Loth remembered, “I saw journalism as a way to improve the lives of ordinary people, to shine a light on the needs of people.”

Using a recent issue of the Boston Globe, Loth explained the significance of where different items appear in the paper, noting that these placement “clues” were lost in the digital world. Ellen Hume, who introduced Loth and is herself a journalist, observed that the “notion of objectivity” had also been lost during the digital transformation. Hume said that this commitment to objectivity had protected journalists from publishers and advertisers. The two media veterans discussed the tension that often existed between the news and editorial sides of newspapers.

Hume noted that the Boston Globe had won the 2003 Pulitzer Prize in Public Service for its coverage of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, and asked Loth to use this example to describe “how a story becomes a story.” Loth explained that five reporters had worked on the story full-time for an entire year before the newspaper published the first story about the scandal. The two agreed that this type of long-term investment in a news story has been lost in a world of digital media and limited economic resources. Loth said that another key factor in the ability of the Boston Globe to report on this story was its reputation as “an institution with 150 years of credibility.” She went on to say that this too is in jeopardy. “A blogger in pajamas,” said Loth, “will never have the same credibility.” As a result, she said, “some great stories are not being written.”

Loth also spoke about what Hume described as “the woman thing.” Loth said that there were many times during her career when she was the “only woman in the room.” Although journalism is still a male-dominated profession, Loth said that women have had a disproportionate influence, and were especially important in the reporting on some key issues: “It was the presence of women in the newsroom that made domestic violence a story,” commented Loth.     

Loth and Hume’s discussion prompted a number of questions: on the viability of the online business model for newspapers; on the advantages of digital media; on whether we are more informed now than we were; on how the internet and digital media have led to a “disregard for expertise;” and on the distinction between journalism and activism.