In an August 23, 2007 article on the Washington Post website, media columnist William Powers argues that, "For anyone who loves and believes in journalism, there are still numerous reasons to be cheerful about the media future."

Powers writes:

Joel Achenbach's "I Really Need You to Read This Article, Okay?" incisively captures how the digitization of news is reshaping the culture of journalism. Between the lines, it also gets at a hidden dimension of the ongoing crisis in the mainstream media: When journalists at great print outlets like the Post worry and grouse about the Web, they aren't just thinking about their paychecks or the declining prestige of their medium. Those things certainly matter -- reporters are people, too, with families and egos to feed. But nobody goes into this business to get filthy rich or become a movie star. Anyone seriously chasing those dreams is on Wall Street or in Hollywood.

It may sound hokey, but most journalists are in journalism because they believe it's good for the world. And, at bottom, what troubles them most is the threat that digital technology poses to the mission itself: Is the tyranny of page views driving us to a future where work that really matters -- bold investigations, sparkling foreign reportage, thoughtful commentary -- is replaced by, as Joel puts it, Britney's dog?

It's a not a pleasant prospect, but I'm not as worried as Joel is that it will actually come to pass. For anyone who loves and believes in journalism, there are still numerous reasons to be cheerful about the media future:

1. Journalists are by nature alarmists, constantly on the watch for bad news, and eager to deliver it first.

2. Paper is not dying.

3. Quality still sells.

4. Irrational Exuberance, Digital Version.

Powers' elaborates on these points in the article, and concludes that the pursuit of "great old newspapers" by successful billionaires such as Rupert Murdoch, Sam Zell, and David Geffen is another indication that the demise of newspapers is not inevitable.

Click here for Powers' article in its entirety on the Washington Post website.