While I was moving recently, I found a Times-Picayune newspaper clipping from 1998 in which I, just Eve Kidd back then, was interviewed in my capacity as the editor of my high school newspaper, the Franklin Forum. The newspaper article included a particularly prescient quote from me: “Kidd declined to comment on the future of high school journalism. ‘No one even knows the future of journalism in general,’ she said.”
For about 20 minutes, I felt really smart. “What a savvy high schooler I was,” I thought, refraining from literally patting myself on the back. “What great insight I had, even at age 17!”
Then it dawned on me that I acknowledged, more than a decade ago, that print journalism was faltering — and still went to journalism school, got a master’s degree in journalism (even writing my thesis on the death of the print-and-ink newspaper!) and went into the industry anyway. The feeling of brilliance slowly ebbed away.
Given the insight I had when I was 17, I can hardly be surprised at the fact that — as you’ve no doubt noticed — New Orleans Homes and Lifestyles is now published twice a year instead of monthly.
But don’t worry: We’re making those two issues good enough to make up for the 10 you’re losing.
In this Autumn/Winter issue, we’re featuring our second annual class of Design Masters, honoring the best of the best in New Orleans design. We also have the winners of the second annual Renaissance Awards, which we give in conjunction with the Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans to recognize homeowners who didn’t sacrifice the historical integrity of their homes when they renovated them. We’re showcasing the wonderfully colorful and vibrant art-filled home of Dr. Arthur Silverman, and on top of that, the holidays are coming just a little bit early. We have a preview of the homes on the Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans’ Holiday Home Tour along with two festively decorated Christmas homes to get you feeling merry.
And don’t worry about me either: In addition to editing our jampacked biannual issues (along with another biannual magazine, Gulf Coast Wine + Dine, and the bimonthly Louisiana Life), I’m now working in the medium of the future as the Web editor for Renaissance Publishing’s Web site, MyNewOrleans.com. I have a blog on MyNewOrleans.com every Friday, and I send out our daily e-mail newsletters and, along with my coworkers, manage our Facebook and Twitter accounts.
Just like journalists and news outlets all over America, we’re not going away, we’re not reducing our quality or quantity … we’re just evolving. I have always been a fan of more traditional media: I like to get my newspaper off the front walk in the morning and spread it out all over the kitchen table while I drink my coffee. I like to argue with my husband over who gets the front page first and read our horoscopes out loud. I love it when new magazines come in the mail, and I love making guilty impulse purchases of celebrity gossip rags at grocery store checkout line.
But I’m not hiding my head in the sand on this –– journalism is headed to the Web, and I’m following it.
I’ve wanted to be a journalist since the eighth grade, and I assure you, no one goes into the field for money or fame or because the hours are great or because it’s low-stress. The only valid reason to go into journalism is a deep and abiding love and respect for the craft, and for me, that hasn’t changed, will never change, whether I’m an editor or a blogger or just a consumer of news media.
So I hope you enjoy our Autumn/ Winter issue, but as full as it is, I also hope that it doesn’t keep you satisfied until the Spring/Summer issue hits the stands. I hope that when you need a fix, you’ll log on to MyNewOrleans.com, read my blog and all of our other great blogs, catch up on the content in all of our other wonderful magazines, follow us on Twitter, friend us on Facebook and sign up for our newsletters.
Even when I was “predicting” the future of journalism back in 1998, it was only to say that the future was uncertain. But one thing that is certain is that the Web isn’t going anywhere.
So I’m taking a deep breath and heading into the future. Won’t you follow me?
