The Difficulty of Niche Journalism

This article is about comics journalism, but also applies to RPGs as well. Both are very small, niche groups where the line between fan and pro is blurred, sometimes beyond recognition.

The usual suspects are dragged out for examination: Wizard, Newsarama, Lying in the Gutters, etc. "Are they really comics news?" "Do they really ask the hard questions?" Etc.

Dick Hyacinth's post "Journalism and the future of Newsarama" encapsulates the debate nicely.

Here are some thoughts on the subject:

I think a big problem is that this industry is way too small to burn bridges in.

First, it has been my observation that to an extent there is an overlap between people who write about comics online and people who aspire to work in the industry itself in some capacity. This by no means refers to all comic pundits, bloggers, and reporters -- but there is an overlap. And there is also an overlap between people who write comics online and people who have friends in the industry. Why is there such an overlap?