G. Bruce Knecht ’80 recalls researching a story in 1994 for The Wall Street Journal about a soon-to-be launched company called Amazon.com
Knecht went to the Amazon website, which was the first Internet site he had ever visited, on the only computer in the Journal newsroom that allowed access to the web.
Times certainly have changed — millions of Americans now regularly go online not only to buy goods, but also to get their news.
In the latest of the 51 Conversations podcast , Knecht discusses how this technological evolution and the recent economic downturn have combined to threaten the very existence of some newspapers, including such Fourth Estate stalwarts like The Boston Globe.
He said that a talk he gave last semester to 51 students could have been titled “The end of journalism” or “New opportunities in the information age.”
 |
| G. Bruce Knecht has written for magazines such as Conde Nast Traveler, The New York Times Magazine, and The Atlantic Monthly. |
Both are true, he said, because there are studies showing that the average person spends more time reading news than ever before; they just aren’t reading it in print newspapers.
A Wall Street Journal reporter for 15 years before recently leaving to write books full-time, Knecht says in the podcast that Rupert Murdoch’s purchase of the Journal in 2007, which sent shock waves through the industry, has actually benefited the newspaper.
The media tycoon has expanded coverage and invested in the paper, which has protected it from the cutbacks felt at The New York Times and other newspapers.
Knecht does fear the Journal will completely forego the long-form feature stories it was so well known for and that he loved to write.
His primary writing outlet now is books.
An avid sailor, Knecht has written two nonfiction books: The Proving Ground (2002), a gripping account of the deadly 1998 Sydney to Hobart yacht race, and Hooked: Pirates, Poaching, and the Perfect Fish (2007), which Tom Brokaw called “a fish story, a global whodunit, a courtroom drama — and a critically important ecological message all rolled into one.”
Knecht is working on his third book, which describes the construction of a 200-foot powerboat through those involved in the process, from the wealthy owners to the welders making $16.25 a hour.
To hear Knecht talk about newspapering and writing, please to listen now or right-click and “save target as” to download file. You also can go to the 51 Conversations or iTunes for more download options.