Journalism Quality Management - a trouble, a pipe dream or a necessity?

Newspapers and journalism are experiencing a serious crisis, primarily economic, but also a crisis of their social role and credibility. It is visible in the decline in expenditure and revenue, including advertising, in the decreasing number of journalists and loss of public confidence. This pushes the further tabloidization of journalism, by which I mean using all means, themes, and forms that could attract readers. The result is a simplification of the content, a neglect of journalistic ethics, and – worst of all – numerous errors, from spelling mistakes to false information. This further decreases the credibility of the press. To brake this vicious circle a renewed appreciation of the importance of confidence in journalism is needed. This article describes the Total Quality Management project which was prepared by The Media and Society Foundation.

Newspapers and journalism are experiencing a serious crisis, primarily economic, but also a crisis of their social role and credibility. It is visible in the decline in expenditure and revenue, including advertising, in the decreasing number of journalists and loss of public confidence. This pushes the further tabloidization of journalism, by which I mean using all means, themes, and forms that could attract readers. The result is a simplification of the content, a neglect of journalistic ethics, and – worst of all – numerous errors, from spelling mistakes to false information. This further decreases the credibility of the press. To brake this vicious circle a renewed appreciation of the importance of confidence in journalism is needed. This article describes the Total Quality Management project which was prepared by The Media and Society Foundation.