Entrepreneurial Journalism..do we even have to ask?

hung over, crap car, crap apartment… and this is a role model?

Ken Kobre, who I admire a lot, is asking the question on his blog: ‘Now you have to be an entrepreneur too’

Kobre’s question is derivative of a new book by Adam Westbrook entitled Next Generation Journalist: 10 New Ways to Make Money i Journalism in 2010.

Kobre, at the end of his blog raises the question:

We’d like to hear your thoughts. Do you think it’s practical for most journalists to repackage and giftwrap themselves as entrepreneurs? Does this sound like something that would suit your skills and sensibilities? Does the prospect of being an entrepreneur enhance or diminish your enthusiasm for being a journalist?

The biggest mistake that journalists for the last 50 years have made was to wrap themselves in this glorification of poverty.

The Internet happened on our watch. I happened to our business, and it happened under our noses.

The Internet is the single biggest technologically driven transition of an industry since Gutenberg put ink to movable type. And billions have been made in the Internet Revolution – billions, but not by us.

Which is both strange and tragic because we were here first!

The Internet is all about gathering, processing and distributing information. Well, that’s what we do as journalists.

We should own Google and Craigslist and Facebook and a thousand other very successful sites.

But we don’t.

We don’t because we missed the entrepreneurial boat.

And why did we miss the entrepreneurial boat that sailed away right under our noses?

Because we have a love and a passion for poverty. We love to see ourselves as poor and struggling.

We think money is evil.

Seriously.

Ever see the movie State of Play with Russell Crowe?  (see above)

Russell Crowe plays the hero. The hard working, dedicated and pure journalist.  He’s also a misfit, drunk, unshave, badly dressed mess who drives a crap car and lives in a dump.

Our hero.

Journalist.

This is what we extol. This is how we love to see ourselves. The ink-stained wretches.

Journalist dressed in Armani or Prada living on Park Avenue?

I don’t think so.

But why? Why do we embrace this notion of ‘business? bad. evil. Not for me..; or even worse… too confusing? all those numbers!!

Our industry was not always so.

Benjamin Franklin, journalist, printer, entrepreneur – one of the wealthiest men in the Colonies.

Michael Bloomberg – billionaire journalist.

Rupert Murdoch. Journalist billionaire.

These should be our role models.

Making money is not a crime! Great journalism and great capitalism are not mutually exclusive. On the contrary, today they should go hand in hand.

Jeff Jarvis teaches a fantastic course at CUNY on Entrepreneurial Journalism, but is an anomaly.

I tried to take the idea to Columbia. They turned up their noses.  Money???? ugh!!!!

Wake up, journalists!!!

Arise ye ink-stained wretches.

You have nothing to lose but your…..  in fact, you have nothing to lose at all at this point.

About the author

mrosenblum - For more than 20 years, Mr. Rosenblum has been on the cutting edge of the digital ‘videojournalist’ revolution. During this time, he has lead a drive for videoliteracy, and the complete rethinking of how television is made and controlled. His work has included: The complete transitioning of The BBC's national network (UK) to a VJ-driven model, starting in 2002. The complete conversion of The Voice of America, the United State’s Government’s broadcasting agency, (and the largest broadcaster in the world), from short wave radio to television broadcasting and webcasting using the ‘VJ” paradigm (1998-present). The construction of NYT Television, a New York Times Company, and the largest producer of non-fiction television in the US. Rosenblum was both the founder and President of NYT TV, (all based on the “VJ” paradigm – 1996-1998). The President and Founder of Video News International, a global VJ-driven newsgathering company, with more than 100 journalists around the world. (1993-1996).