From one of my favourite e-newsletters, J-Source, comes a provocative article by Alan Bass, assistant prof at Thompson Rivers University School of Journalism, that takes journalists themselves to task for failing to preserve the vitality of journalism and for failing to make the case for the relevance of journalism vis-a-vis the infotainment that constitutes the majority of “media.”

What’s wrong with journalism? Look in the mirror is worth reading for anyone interested in the challenges that faced by major news outlets–particularly those challenges posed by the new forms of media emerging on the web. Though I think Bass places too much blame on journalists themselves (and simultaneously assumes they have more power to reform “the press” than they do), such calls for serious self-reflection are an essential part of efforts to change large, public institutions like the media. If change can’t (at least partially) come from within, it won’t happen.