The lecture was nostalgic - the Scotsman newsroom, Leigh's first workplace, is now a tartan hotel room while the new premises consist only of two men and a dog - and pessimistic.
Or rather it would have been pessimistic had I been one of the target audience. But Leigh's list of techno gadgets, from 'podcasts' to 'blogs' (the inverted commas were almost palpable), placed him and his audience firmly in an older generation. Like Greenslade, he is acutely aware of the influx of mediums and amateur reporters. In this 'new' world, reporting is no longer an elite activity. Yes, they want to embrace the internet, but the awareness has become a hang-up that stands in their way.
I've only been in this world 23 years: it's not new. Modern technology does not seem modern. The End of Reporting debate is not shocking. I was aware of falling papers sales before I started this course. I knew that many people distrust and dislike journalists. I know I will write for a smaller audience than would be ideal. But because I haven't experienced the decline first-hand, I'm interested, not worried.
Leigh's lecture finished too soon. He touched on the idea of 'slow journalism' - in-depth, accurate and revelatory investigative research - and then we moved on to canapes. But the unsatisfactory conclusion was fitting precisely because it left me and others unsated.
Backward-looking and hold-a-mirror-up-to-society ideas have been written and debated to death. Now we need to work on forward-looking innovation and the challenge of creating stories and respected bylines that people want to read.
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