{"id":15369,"date":"2025-04-25T12:47:10","date_gmt":"2025-04-25T12:47:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/?p=15369"},"modified":"2025-05-01T18:19:37","modified_gmt":"2025-05-01T18:19:37","slug":"what-is-journalism-and-why-does-it-matter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/2025\/04\/25\/what-is-journalism-and-why-does-it-matter\/","title":{"rendered":"What is journalism, and why does it matter?"},"content":{"rendered":"    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/about\/subscribe-to-nieman-storyboard\/\"><em>Sign up for the Nieman Storyboard newsletter,<\/em><\/a><em>&nbsp;delivered every Friday in your inbox.<\/em><\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">***<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">Dear Storyboard community,&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>For this week&#8217;s Nieman Storyboard podcast, <a href=\"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/2025\/04\/24\/mary-schmich-podcasts-division-street-revisited\/\">I sat down with Mary Schmich<\/a>, the Pulitzer Prize-winning former columnist for the Chicago Tribune and now host of the new podcast <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mharris.com\/divisionstreetrevisited\">&#8220;Division Street Revisited.&#8221;<\/a>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>In the middle of our conversation, we got to talking about the role that she held for 29 years \u2014&nbsp;metro columnist \u2014&nbsp;and what our communities lose when those jobs, and the jobs of so many other local reporters, disappear.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>Schmich&#8217;s position allowed her to write features, opinion pieces, breaking news, and personal essays, all in one box. (And as she reminded me, her column was inside an actual box on the page that she had to fill.)&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>The internet has led us to believe that now, anyone can be a columnist. In some ways, that is true: Many of us self-publish, and the online world responds with comments and likes. But the global nature of the internet has left a gap in local storytelling \u2014 and self-publishing and social media don&#8217;t guarantee that anyone really hears you.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>When I read Mary&#8217;s work, I see someone out in the community, listening to people, lifting them up. As she told <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/lifestyle\/media\/mary-schmich-chicago-tribune-columnists\/2021\/06\/25\/0770ef66-d501-11eb-9f29-e9e6c9e843c6_story.html\">The Washington Post&#8217;s Paul Farhi in 2021<\/a>, the missing piece is &#8220;connection.&#8221;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>This gets me closer to an answer to the existential question I still struggle with: What is journalism, and why does it matter?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>Journalists are out there, right now, connecting with people to make sure their stories are not forgotten. That alone has immense value.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-heading   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How do you define journalism?&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>Tell me your answers, and I&#8217;d love to feature you in a future newsletter: <a href=\"mailto:editor@niemanstoryboard.org\">editor@niemanstoryboard.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-heading   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/2025\/04\/24\/mary-schmich-podcasts-division-street-revisited\/\">Pulitzer winner Mary Schmich\u2019s journey from newspapers to podcasts with \u2018Division Street Revisited\u2019<\/a><\/h2>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-image mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/2025\/04\/24\/mary-schmich-podcasts-division-street-revisited\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Mary-Schmich-Storyboard-Image-1024x768.png\" alt=\"Mary Schmich\" class=\"wp-image-15354\" style=\"width:608px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Mary-Schmich-Storyboard-Image-1024x768.png 1024w, https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Mary-Schmich-Storyboard-Image-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Mary-Schmich-Storyboard-Image-768x576.png 768w, https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Mary-Schmich-Storyboard-Image-1536x1152.png 1536w, https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Mary-Schmich-Storyboard-Image.png 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Mary Schmich<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-html mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<div id=\"buzzsprout-player-17033624\"><\/div><script src=\"https:\/\/www.buzzsprout.com\/2449998\/episodes\/17033624-mary-schmich-s-journey-from-newspapers-to-podcasts-with-division-street-revisited.js?container_id=buzzsprout-player-17033624&#038;player=small\" type=\"text\/javascript\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>[ Follow us in <a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/nieman-storyboard\/id1804505440\">Apple Podcasts<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/4cN4SOwf5Am05PoA9wckcA\">Spotify<\/a>, or your <a href=\"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.buzzsprout.com\/2449998\/episodes\">favorite podcast app<\/a>. ]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>[ <a href=\"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/2025\/04\/24\/mary-schmich-podcasts-division-street-revisited\/\">Read the show notes<\/a> ]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-heading   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Links of Note<\/h2>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-image mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wallacehouse.umich.edu\/livingston-awards\/finalists\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"427\" src=\"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/04\/livingston-awards-1024x427.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-15378\" style=\"width:628px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/04\/livingston-awards-1024x427.png 1024w, https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/04\/livingston-awards-300x125.png 300w, https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/04\/livingston-awards-768x321.png 768w, https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/04\/livingston-awards.png 1344w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    <div class=\"\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-list mb-4 list max-w-screen-full mx-auto pl-5 \">\n            \n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Finalists have been announced for the <a href=\"https:\/\/wallacehouse.umich.edu\/announcing-the-2025-livingston-awards-finalists\/\">2025 Livingston Awards<\/a>, honoring &#8220;the best reporting and storytelling by journalists under 35 across all forms of journalism.&#8221; <a href=\"https:\/\/wallacehouse.umich.edu\/livingston-awards\/finalists\/\">Get the full list of nominees here<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Speaking of the importance of local storytelling, former Charlotte magazine editor <a href=\"https:\/\/michaelngraff.com\/\">Michael Graff<\/a> has launched a new site, <a href=\"https:\/\/charlotteoptimist.com\/why-im-launching-the-charlotte-optimist\/?utm_source=charlotteoptimist.com&amp;utm_medium=newsletter&amp;utm_campaign=introducing-the-charlotte-optimist&amp;_bhlid=9d0b7506d86d44d60d3e1cbb333255103714f217\">The Charlotte Optimist<\/a>, dedicated to North Carolina\u2019s most populous city. &#8220;The Charlotte Optimist is a new nonprofit publication for our city. It aims to lead with love and gratitude and a willingness to listen and give. It\u2019ll strive, if sometimes imperfectly, to put those things into practice in the form of journalism and stories.&#8221; <a href=\"https:\/\/charlotteoptimist.com\/\">The first issue arrives May 4<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/inaletter.substack.com\/p\/so-difficult-so-worth-it?utm_source=post-email-title&amp;publication_id=2396331&amp;post_id=161839685&amp;utm_campaign=email-post-title&amp;isFreemail=true&amp;r=lokt&amp;triedRedirect=true&amp;utm_medium=email\">&#8220;So Difficult. So Worth It.&#8221;<\/a> A lovely ode to rejection for writers and storytellers, by Naz Riahi.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/transom.org\/2025\/how-to-build-a-narrative-podcast-unit\/\">&#8220;How to Build a Narrative Podcast Unit Inside a Newsroom.&#8221;<\/a> At Transom.org, New Hampshire Public Radio&#8217;s Katie Colaneri, Lauren Chooljian, and Jason Moon share how they organized their newsroom&#8217;s &#8220;Document&#8221; team to produce serialized podcast projects. &#8220;The short answer is: my station thought it was a good idea. My colleagues and I proved we could pull it off \u2014 and the work resonated with listeners. But in truth, it wasn\u2019t that simple.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>Keep sharing your stories,&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>Mark Armstrong<br><a href=\"https:\/\/nieman.harvard.edu\/mark-armstrong-named-editor-of-nieman-storyboard\/\">Editor<\/a><br>Nieman Storyboard<br><a href=\"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.buzzsprout.com\">Follow the Nieman Storyboard Podcast<\/a>&nbsp;<br>On Bluesky: <a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/did:plc:nejd5yomd3xtdcdg267bqim5\">@niemanstoryboard.org<\/a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<div class=\"block block-subscribe full-width\">\n            <h2 class=\"subscribe-title\">Subscribe to Storyboard<\/h2>\n        \n            <div class=\"subscribe-content\">\n            <p>Get insights into the craft of journalism and storytelling in your inbox, delivered on Fridays.<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    \n                <div class=\"subscribe-embed\">\n                            <div class=\"mt-5\">\n                 <div translate=\"no\" class='mailmunch-forms-widget-1154494'><\/div>\n\n                <\/div>\n               \n                    <\/div>\n    \n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Pulitzer Prize winner Mary Schmich&#8217;s new podcast, plus Livingston Awards and local storytelling in Charlotte, North Carolina<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":15370,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[455,408,425],"topics":[],"authors":[410],"issue":[],"class_list":["post-15369","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-from-the-editor","tag-awards","tag-newsletter","tag-podcasts","authors-mark-armstrong"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>What is journalism, and why does it matter? - Nieman Storyboard<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Pulitzer Prize-winner Mary Schmich&#039;s new podcast, plus Livingston Awards and local storytelling in Charlotte, North Carolina\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/2025\/04\/25\/what-is-journalism-and-why-does-it-matter\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What is journalism, and why does it matter? - Nieman Storyboard\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Pulitzer Prize-winner Mary Schmich&#039;s new podcast, plus Livingston Awards and local storytelling in Charlotte, North Carolina\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/2025\/04\/25\/what-is-journalism-and-why-does-it-matter\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Nieman Storyboard\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" 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