Social media taking a toll on arts journalism, panelists say

While much focus remains on the dropoff of investigative and local reporting, arts reporting and criticism is also in flux. "Arts journalism faces an unclear future as social media takes over, and non-journalists can share their opinions as easily as journalists," said Thomas Huizenga of NPR Music at a Communications Leadership Forum at the Annenberg Center's Washington D.C. office on Tuesday (Aug. 3). "The impact of criticism is lost in the new media. Journalists have now fallen to the bottom of the list." Participants included Felix Contreras of the NPR Arts Desk and Susan Clampitt, former executive director of WAMU and now a Commissioner on the District of Columbia Commission on the Arts and Humanities. "Arts journalism is struggling for its life," said Jaime Bennett of the National Endowment for the Arts. "It's no surprise that journalists are taking to the blogosphere to share their reviews."