journalism

Some good news. A team of local teenagers (ages 13 to 17) covers the Hamptons from a resident's perspective in their seasonal newspaper, The Ditch Weekly. Better yet, they’re “very profitable” according to 17-year-old chief financial officer, Charlie Stern.

Everyone thinks of it as just a rich, touristy place, but there’s so much of the past that nobody really knows about,” said Ellis, 15, who wrote an article last year about the history of Montauk’s skate park. Working on the paper, he added, “I learned so much about the town I live in.”
Early issues of The Ditch Weekly, which is named for the founders’ favorite sandy hangout, contained Teddy’s review of dueling pancake houses (headline: “Battle of the Buttermilk”) and Billy’s interview with a surf shop owner. Ellis wrote a weekly roundup of mischief from police reports (headline: “Spring Shenanigans”).

This isn't just a journalistic venture or early exposure to the media business. Something about it reflects the younger generation's disenchantment with screen time.

Perhaps most ambitious of all, they hope to persuade other teenagers to put down their phones and pick up a newspaper.

Patrick Boehler challenges journalism's self-importance and calls for a media reset: Stop pretending journalism matters on its own.

For media funders, this shift could be transformative. Rather than perpetuating trickle-down systems of generic content creator patronage and rent-seeking, they could support ventures that demonstrate real utility to communities. The strongest media organizations I've encountered understand that people don't seek out journalism for journalism's sake - they want solutions to problems, ways to improve their lives, recognition, community.

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