Rich Moreno's interesting March 14 post about advances and declines in industry sizes over the last few years could lead to some snap judgments, some erroneous.
Based on data and insight provided by LinkedIn to the White Houses Council of Economic Advisers, it shows employment changes at certain types of industries, not actual jobs. So a newspaper that sheds dozens of circulation staffers and press operators contributes to a drop -- even though newsroom gigs may have held steady.
Plus, people educated in journalism many places, such as a few industries that show dramatic growth; Marketing & Advertising, Online Publishing, Think Tanks and Internet.
For additional perspective, it may be fruitful to read journalist Tom Rosenstiel's piece in the Washington Post from almost a year ago. (Rosenstiel, incidentally, is director of the think tank Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism.)
In "Five myths about the future of journalism," Rosenstiel details these flawed generalizations:
1. The traditional news media are losing their audience.
2. Online news will be fine as soon as the advertising revenue catches up.
3. Content will always be king.
4. Newspapers around the world are on the decline.
5. The solution is to focus on local news.
Things are both more complicated than LinkedIn's analyticals, and nuanced with as much hope as fear.
