In today’s Editor & Publisher I discuss the panel I was on at Northwestern Friday (thx Ellen Shearer for the invite!): 

“Given the inevitable fragmentation of the MSM market and the inundation of “breaking news” in our daily lives, the need for a reliable filter has never been more prevalent. In most social networks – online and offline – there is typically a handful of influencers who lead their peers in suggesting valuable news bits and facilitating activism. For better or worse, these individuals have become our default editors, aggregators and points of distribution.” Read more here.

From a business perspective, it appears to be a home run. Despite the collapse and resurrection of niche efforts like ESPN mobile service, the power of direct access to consumers via cell phones has skyrocketed as high as the presidential election coverage, with candidates looking to the utility-driven impact of text messaging to galvanize their get out the vote efforts in November. In every meeting I’m sitting in, every conference I attend and every company I advise, we’re talking about mobile media as the next frontier, which has already been established overseas. 

From a user perspective, however, I’m starting to experience fatigue. Although, this may mean that at the ripe old age of 28, I’m already a geezer. Read more here. 

“The thing that stood out most to me in the study was the distinction young consumers make between wanting to be informed versus wanting to follow the news. Whereas I personally enjoy following the minutia of the campaign trail as much as a zealous NFL fan watches the stats, most of my peers prefer the highlight reel. A news outlet that can provide information about major milestones in quick context resonates most.“  Read more here.

Also of interest is a 2003 study Andrew and I did at Medill with the Media Management Center about reaching young-light news consumers in Milwaukee.

“The journalism-school side of my brain was inclined to agree with [the reader] because certainly one can defiine as, say, an A1 story about Iraq from the New York Times or a report on the recession from the Wall Street Journal. But I don’t believe it’s that simple anymore, or that new media enthusiasts are stretching the definition of news to show that the millennial generation is engaged, especially when amateurs are more frequently leading the traditional news cycle, as we saw this past weekend with blogosphere and Sarah Palin.” Read more here. 

“Defenders of the millennial generation’s civic engagement had some explaining to do last week after a recent Pew study indicated that a third of us don’t seek out any news on a typical day, including online media. As E&P reported when the data was released, this statistic undercuts a common argument that millennials are not turned off, they just get their news from non-traditional outlets beyond print and broadcast media.”

Read more here.

It’s baffling how many journalists, who comb through countless angles to produce a thoughtful story, are actually one-trick ponies. Of course, there’s a reason why Scarlett Johanssen’s CD of Tom Waits covers is not as popular as her box office blockbusters, and a committed journalist doesn’t want to become a jack-of-all-trades/master-of-none. But as a former Huffington Post colleague who now works at a major daily pointed out to me after I shared some of the email responses to last week’s introduction: “When newspapers are looking to make layoffs they’re looking for the people who a) make the most money and do the least, but b) don’t have a well-rounded skill set.” Read the whole post on E & P.

I did receive some messages from journalists (young and old!) who were enthusiastic about beginning an ongoing dialogue on the future of journalism. People who know me well can attest that I’ve been a crusader for delivering compelling news to the millennial generation since I was a 19-year-old opinion columnist in the Daily Bruin at UCLA. I then studied millennial media habits in graduate school at Northwestern University, and my first real job was as a general assignment reporter and columnist at RedEye, the Chicago Tribune’s special daily edition for 18- to 34-year-old readers.

There was some skepticism about whether -31- (and it’s esoteric reference to the deadwood edition; the mark “-30-” used to denote the end of a reporter’s story) will resonante with younger journalists. That will be entirely dependent upon who chooses to participate. I hope journalists of all varieties will choose to own a piece of the conversation and contribute.

If you have a story idea or comment, leave one here or email me.

Fortunately the paper’s student staff seems adequately prepared to handle the tougher questions the news business presents them these days. I guest lectured (I think most of them were paying attention; I did note some rogue texting) at their summer training session on campus this afternoon in a very small, very hot room. Topics included the impending death of print journalism (10 years!), whether graduate school is a good idea (if you want to be a professor!), editorial quality (shred that Us Weekly and read The Economist already!) and blogging techniques (read Teresa; she’s better!).

It makes me sad that I can’t walk into a room of aspiring journalists and tell them the ideals they want to preserve will result in positive socio-political relevance and job security. Most of the friends I shared those seats with in my student journalist days have long since jumped ship on the fourth branch of government. They are lawyers, account executives, teachers; even our once pinko-commie editor joined the military and is now fighting in George Dub’s unjustifiable Iraq war. Meanwhile, the friends I made at journalism school and in my professional endeavors live in constant fear of Sam Zell firing them and having to become the most over-qualified mall rat selling kitten heels at a BCBG Girls near you.  

Still, I’m not hysterical about the future of the news business or young people’s appetite for substance. As I told them today: If you are a storyteller who can gather accurate facts and use fair news judgment there will always be a job for you; you just have to train yourself to tell multi-media stories in more than one form of distribution. Likewise, smart people will not rely on Wikipedia and Perez Hilton to deliver the talking points and analysis they need to fuel their professional and personal lives. They will seek out qualified editors to vett information, even if they digg mob rule as an additional source from which to tap into the more egalitarian pulse of things. 

It has never been easy to be a journalist, with the high-roller salaries, awesome hours and personal participation restrictions in consideration. Still, it’s an exciting time to be a journalist. We need cultural commentators to raise red flags as our globalized world shrinks, our leaders solve problems, and a new tech-infused generation grows into its rightful place among the decision-making old fuddy duddies. 

There were a lot of nervous faces in the room today, but I have utmost confidence that this crop of people will push the limits and lead by example. At least until their quarter-life crises begin.