I want to be a journalist— specifically, a reporter who works for a newspaper. I’ve resigned myself to the idea that I’m not going to make a lot of money and if the naysayers are right, I’m going to be out of a job in 10 to 20 years.

Every journalism class that I’ve entered at the University has had discussions regarding the future of our dream careers. Sometimes it looks pretty bleak.

Community newspapers are going through hard times, local community college newspapers are dying and even the two local dailies, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and The Seattle Times, have lost significant numbers in readership.

So why would I, or anyone, want to get into this field?

Let me get on my soapbox.

Good journalism, the kind that is objective, has multiple sources and investigates both sides, is a fundamental part of democracy. While it’s great that blogs have allowed anyone to enter the marketplace of ideas, they are not a replacement for responsible journalism that seeks to keep governments accountable, shares people’s stories and engages readers in thinking about the larger world.

I want to be a journalist because I believe that good journalism and good newspapers are essential for us to be successful in our communities, in our cities and in our governments. Newspapers seek to keep citizens informed and that’s a powerful thing. Some of the most corrupt and failing nations are ones that severely limit freedom of the press.

Sometimes I daydream that it’s the 1970s, in the middle of the Watergate scandal and people are dropping out of law school to become journalists. Back then, newspapers were delivered to every home, and most people didn’t leave the house without reading the daily edition.

However, it is 2008 and now most newspapers are online. Journalism isn’t as popular a career, and many homes don’t receive a daily paper. Many newspapers have compensated for this loss of print readership by adapting, with expansive Web pages and their own blogs.

I hope that as newspapers adapt to online formats, it doesn’t mean the end of devoted readers. I also hope that in the future, people continue to seek out news sources — online or elsewhere — and value responsible journalism. Above all, I hope that newspapers will still have the money to hire qualified journalists, ones that will care about the importance of good journalism.

[Reach columnist Erica Cederlind at opinion@thedaily.washington.edu.]