A reporter who had worked at The Korea Times for nearly 10 years recently moved to one of the country's major entertainment agencies. He has his own reasons to quit being a journalist and become one of many who have left the press in recent years to pursue a new career in a different field, but his departure reflects the undeniable reality that the media has increasingly become a less attractive workplace.

There are many reasons behind it: lack of work-life balance, rigid corporate culture and low wages, but many say the major reason is that newspapers, online-based news outlets and TV broadcasters lack the potential for further growth.

People tend to stick around and work harder to advance their careers in industries that possess strong growth potential. But if workers don't see a future with their jobs, many leave to find work in more promising sectors. This is exactly what's been happening in the Korean press as more seasoned and talented journalists are departing to become PR or marketing managers and executives at Samsung, SK, Hyundai Motor, LG and other companies.

Ever since the internet came into being, newspapers and TV broadcasters have been losing their clout as people can get news and other information from other sources. Prior to the internet, most had no other choice but to read newspapers and watch TV to find out what was going on in the world. But now people have access to news online via computers or smartphones, whenever they want and wherever they are, making it significantly less important to subscribe to newspapers and watch TV.

New news content providers have also emerged, making things more difficult for legacy media outlets. More and more people get news from YouTube, Facebook, X (formerly known as Twitter), TikTok and other online platforms.

Given their waning influence, there is no doubt that newspapers and TV broadcasters are struggling to make money, let alone stay relevant. They need to pay the bills just like any other businesses.

As more people consume news online, media companies have invested in and strengthened their online news operations, but have largely failed to generate new income. This increasing online investment, coupled with already falling advertising sales, has further worsened their bottom lines as people remain unwilling to pay for the news. The New York Times and other major media outlets have successfully launched paid news services but it's very unlikely for Korean media outlets to follow suit and charge subscribers for their news content.

In a recent luncheon meeting with a PR executive from an IT firm based in Pangyo, a business district south of Seoul focusing on digital technology, the executive asked why newspapers should continue to have the same business models for years and still hope to be able to survive when so many other companies have worked hard to transform themselves in the rapidly changing world.

The question was not unexpected but hard to respond to because there seemed to be no one right answer. The answer was, "As long as media outlets can pay the bills with their decades-old business models, they will continue to rely on advertising revenue from government agencies and private companies. Organizing a range of events, including music concerts and academic seminars, and charging businesses for attendance will continue to remain another major source of income. When they can no longer sustain this, they will find something else."

The answer may sound lame but this is the exact reality. It is really hard for news businesses to generate income at a sustainable pace as long as consumers regard their products as free.

However, against all these backdrops, people in the press still have to work harder to make the industry more viable and it is this reporter's duty to help make The Korea Times continue to exist for another 73 years, and become a more trusted and financially flourishing news organization.

In the age of generative artificial intelligence (AI) producing highly developed content, some say journalists will become obsolete. But it is hard to agree with that statement. AI can summarize documents, process information and turn that into a news story. But it cannot write one out of thin air.

AI will never be able to replace journalists because only humans can produce creative news content. AI is and will only be able to make it easier for journalists to do their jobs, and the existence of talented news editors, who can discern fake news amid the flood of AI-generated content, will be ever more important.

What journalists should focus on is producing original and distinctive news stories. The readership will then increase, which will help boost company sales. This virtuous circle will surely attract talented young minds who want to become journalists.

Society needs quality news reporting. It is the duty of all journalists to make the media's future brighter.

The writer is business editor at The Korea Times.