Journalism should not roleplay as marketing
A hard talk about the role of the media, or at least tabletop media
My journalism school education was, in large parts, about professional preparation. It anticipated a broad, if woefully dated, array of situations that a young journalist might find themselves navigating once they departed the theoretical fields of academia. For example, how to extend anonymity to a source, balancing perspectives in pursuit of objectivity, and when to involve your desk editor in talks with prickly public officials. It also impressed the importance of journalistic independence—an ethical distance maintained such that it allows reporters and critics to cover their particular spheres (politics, entertainment, physical communities, etc.) without becoming materially enmeshed.
Journalists are people, as are our sources and subjects. Our job duties require forming and maintaining relationships based not in an exchange of favors or money, but a (hopefully) mutual understanding that journalism is a public good; that the open flow of verifiable information from trusted institutions benefits everyone. We all agreed that sometimes you need an annoyingly persistent voice to ask inconvenient questions of power without fear of shitcanning and reprisal.
This is, as you might already be thinking, not so cut-and-dry. Particularly in games journalism—and especially in tabletop—lines are easily blurred. Designers are also players are also readers. The Venn diagram approaches a circle. The cavity where traditional media would normally slot was filled first with blogs, essays and forum threads; later with social media posts, podcasts, and YouTube videos. Enthusiast journalism, citizen press, and other dirty words meant to imply a lack of rigor and professionalism provided the necessary information labor. I don’t denigrate the work but point out its insufficiencies. There is a critical flaw in receiving news from within the industry: these folks are materially invested in its continued success.
Which, finally, brings me to the point of this article. Tabletop industry: we need to talk.
