Thirty years ago, this was a typical scene for thousands of journalists. But times have changed. Police scanners chatter their digital warnings from a corner of the newsroom. The dull clicks of computer keyboards assault the silence. Coffee cups still litter surfaces, depending on the drinker's tidiness, but all ashtrays have been removed.
Many veteran journalists say modern newsrooms have the corporate feel of an insurance agency.
But newsroom decor and decorum aren't the only fading newsroom traditions. Investigative reporters could be going the way of the typewriter, too, according to a new book about the craft. Investigative Reporting in the Current Media Environment , published in January by Iowa State University Press, tracks investigative reporting in the 20th century and considers its future in the coming years. Eleven authors, including three from Ohio University, contributed to the work, which examines everything from investigative reporting's early history to the current state of media work. Investigative reporting has long held the interest of Marilyn Greenwald and Joseph Bernt, media researchers at Ohio University.