أزمة الصحافة.. المكاتب بديلا عن الميدان

أزمة الصحافة.. المكاتب بديلا عن الميدان

مرت الصحافة العربية والعالمية بكثير من العوائق منذ بداية تأسيسها وحتى يومنا هذا. وكانت تلك العوائق تخضع للظروف السياسية والاجتماعية والتقنية في ذلك الوقت. واليوم، تبرز على السطح تحديات وإشكالات تنبع جميعها من منبع واحد وهي الثورة التقنية التي أحدثت انقلابا في كثير من القطاعات ومنها الصحافة.

ورغم كل ما يقال عن الإسهامات التي قدمتها تلك الثورة لمهنة الصحافة إلا أنها خلقت في ذات الوقت قلقا في أوساط الصحفيين الذين لم يدركوا تماما أنه ما من وصفة سحرية معدّة للتعامل مع تلك الثورة رغم المحاولات المتعددة والتجارب.

روي غرينسلاند، أستاذ الصحافة في جامعة سيتي البريطانية ورئيس التحرير السابق لصحيفة ديلي ميرور، طرح إحدى تلك الإشكاليات في مقاله المنشور بصحيفة الغارديان، حيث دعا للتفريق ما بين ملّاك الصحف أو الناشرين والصحفيين.

ودون أن يوجّه لوماً أو نقداً مباشرين، سعى غرينسلاند لتشريح الإشكالية المتمثلة في هدف كل طرف. فالناشر  في نهاية المطاف يبحث عن مردود مالي بينما يهتم الصحفي الجاد بتقديم "خدمة اجتماعية".

ولا يخفى على أحد ما تواجهه الصحف المطبوعة اليوم من التهديد بالإغلاق، كما وجد صحفيون كثر أنفسهم بلا وظائف أو على وشك فقدانها. التخفيضات المالية باتت شبحا يطارد الصحفيين والمراسلين مصحوبا بظروف عمل سيئة تتمثل بانعدام الأمان الوظيفي، وخصوصا في ما يتعلق بالصحفيين المستقلين والعمل لساعات طويلة والضغط الناشئ عن استعجال المدراء لإنتاج الأخبار في وقت قصير للتأقلم مع البئية الرقمية السريعة.

ولا ينطبق هذا الحال –بحسب غريسلاند- على بريطانيا فحسب، بل إن الأزمة قد امتدت لتصل كثيرا من الدول كالولايات المتحدة وأستراليا ومعظم الدول الأوروبية، ونضيف إلى ما سبق، الدول العربية.

وفي سبيل فهم أكثر فقد فرّق غريسلاند ما بين أصحاب الصحف المهتمين بالربح فقط كسلاسل الشركات المتحكمة بمعظم الصحف الإقليمية في المملكة المتحدة، وأصحاب الصحف المنشورة بهدف البريستيج والنفوذ السياسي والدعائي،  وملّاك صحف (ناشرين) يطمحون لتعزيز قيم الحرية والمهنية بعيدا عن المصالح التجارية أو السياسية مثل صحف الغارديان والأوبزيرفر وذا سكوت تراست.

ومع هذا فلا يمكن بأي حال إغفال أهمية التمويل في استمرارية الصحيفة، وكيف أدت الثورة التقنية إلى تراجع المردود المالي الناتج عن مبيعات الصحف منذ 150 عاما.

هذه الأزمة تؤثر على الناشرين أولا وهم الممولون الرئيسيون للصحف، وتدفع الصحفيين لتوجيه اللوم للناشرين بسبب إجراءات التخفيضات التي ينتهجها الأخيرون.

التخفيضات المالية يتبعها تراجع دور العمل الميداني الحقيقي والذي يواجه به الصحفي التغطيات وجها لوجه ويظهر فيه شهود العيان، فأضحى الصحفي يقضي الوقت الأطول ملتصقا بالمكتب وبعيدا عن الشارع وخصوصا في ظل ظهور نوع جديد من الصحافة هو صحافة البيانات.

وللاقتراب أكثر من فهم الأزمة، لا بد من أخذ الجمهور بعين الاعتبار، فقد اختلف عن السابق وتنوعت شرائحه وتوسعت. ورغم عدم اعتراف الصحفيين بشرعية أرقام نسب المشاهدة التي تتأثر بصائد النقرات إلا أنه لا يمكنهم إنكار دور الإعلانات في جذب القراء.

فالمراسلون بدورهم بحاجة لمزيد من النفقات لإعداد قصص صحفية جادة ترفع من قيمة الصحيفة التي يعملون بها لكنها لا تحقق جدوى اقتصادية، وبسبب ذلك يرى الناشر ألا جدوى من الصحفي نفسه الذي يتطلب وجوده رأس مال معين. الصحفي بدوره يعتقد أن ما يقوم به الناشر هو تدمير الخدمة العامة.

إذا –وبحسب غرينسلاند- فإن جزءا من علاج المشكلة هو تمكّن الصحفيين الجادين من التفريق بين الأزمات التي تواجه الناشرين وتلك التي تواجه الصحفيين، وعليهم التمييز بين الصحافة كتجارة وبينها كخدمة اجتماعية.

هذا التجاذب بين الطرفين لن يؤدي سوى إلى مزيد من التعقيد، والأجدى لتفكيك العُقد هو تعاون ملّاك الصحف أو الناشرين مع الصحفيين لإنقاذ الصحافة الجادة مع إيجاد حلول بديلة لمسألة التمويل.

 

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