New York Times reporter Katharine Seelye loves Comedy Central's The Daily Show, but she's weary of its spin on the news.
Seelye, who covers media trends, spoke about the credibility of the media and the future of journalism to an audience of about 60 students and community members at the Kelly Writers House yesterday.
When competing with comedian Jon Stewart's The Daily Show, Web logs and Internet news, the future of print journalism appears grim, Seelye said.
But she remains optimistic.
"I think print will survive, although I'm not sure in what form," she said.
Seelye has already branched out beyond the traditional journalistic format. She was a pioneer for the Times' interactive blog during the 2004 presidential campaign.
"I was the first and -- for a long time -- only journalist who had a blog. I ended up loving it," she said.
However, she noted that the blog is not always a journalist's friend. The Washington Post stopped accepting readers' comments online after Deborah Howell, its ombudsman, was personally attacked in her blog about an error in a recent article.
"Deborah Howell is the latest example of getting chewed up and spit out," Seelye said.
Seelye added that journalism also faces obstacles beyond blogs.
"There are a number of challenges these days, primarily in the areas of credibility and trust," she said. In the fast-paced environment of today's media, there is a race between being right and being first.
"That kind of race can encourage sloppiness," she said.
The increasing difficulty in obtaining hard news from tight-lipped administrators has led to an increase in what Seelye termed "fluffy sections" of the newspaper such as "Style" and "Fashion."
After the discussion, Seelye offered hope and advice to any aspiring journalists present.
"Do what feels right. If [you] like traditional journalism, it can use all the help it can get. We really need new blood and new voices and new ways of looking at things," she said.
Seelye's question and answer discussion was the first in a series of programs stemming from English professor Dick Polman's Advanced Journalistic Writing course.
Polman has several more journalists lined up, the next of whom will be Times Editorial Page Editor Gail Collins.
"Penn needs to beef up its journalism program," Polman said.
While some in the audience came because they were students of Polman or interested in working in journalism, others were simply curious.
"The topic hit close to home," College sophomore Steve McLaughlin said.
