Photojournalists are doing the most exciting work I’ve seen in the past 30 years – but no longer are they doing it for newspapers.

I spent the past week staying up ’til early in the morning judging several multimedia contests and scholarships. The work being done out there is terrific. Online, the most amazing stories fill my feed on a daily basis.

Photojournalism is better than it’s ever been – but the delivery has changed completely.

We’re at the transition stage of the industry – the content is being created, but the money hasn’t followed yet. We’ll get there eventually (please, please, please) but for now we’re doing what it takes to put bread on the table. I’d still rather work at a newspaper than drive a cab – but for now, the emotional commitment to the job is about the same.

Journalism will come out of the ashes of mainstream media like a phoenix. Yes, we’re all dressed in black for the funeral at the moment. The shovels haven’t filled the grave yet. But soon, we’ll have a wake, lift a toast to newspapers, remember the good times, and then join the village raising the next generation.

(This was a response I posted on the NewspaperVideo yahoo email list in a lively discussion of the ethics of journalism and the pending demise thereof. To join the email list, visit the NewspaperVideo list http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/NewspaperVideo/ )