Since I attended the Southeast Journalism Conference a few weeks ago, one idea has stuck with me. Yes, it has to do with journalism, but just bear with me.

Paul Conley, reporter, editor, bureau chief, producer and executive, was a keynote speaker. While he may have been a little too self-assured, he knew what he was talking about. The main idea of his speech was how reporters have to adapt to the changing face of journalism. In other words, he encouraged everyone to get involved in the Internet, which tends to scare some of the more traditional media outlets. They’re used to putting out a print/video product and then being done until the next issue comes out, which may be the next day or the next month. But the Internet changed all that, change being the key word.

People today don’t want to wait until later to get news; they want it ASAP, and the Internet provides that service. But someone has to put it up there, which means making drastic changes in the newsroom, frightening when business has been the same for so many years.

But the idea that Conley brought up that’s stuck with me was the fact that 500 years ago, when Gutenberg invented the printing press, people were just as fearful of the drastic changes that would occur. Back then, the only way people could get copies of books, handbills, etc., was to have them hand-copied, obviously a very tedious task. But with the printing press, copies could be made in a fraction of the time, which led to a much wider availability of books and even an increase in literacy. It changed the world, but at the beginning, people were afraid of the change, similar to today’s situation with the Internet.

I’ll be the first one to say change is hard. With change comes the unknown, which is often even more frightening than change itself. Going to college was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, not so much because it was a change, but because I didn’t know what college was going to be like, if I’d be able to fit in or if I would make it through demanding classes. But it’s been one of the best decisions of my life, and that’s the beauty of change; it brings life’s greatest opportunities.

Change is a chance to better yourself  and try new things.  If the world didn’t experience alterations, think about where we’d be: back in the medieval days with the black plague destroying families or in a time when it was acceptable to own other human beings or even in a world without cell phones and laptops (scary, huh?). While it’s not easy, change allows society to renew itself for the better.

It may be one of the hardest things to endure in life, but ultimately, change is for everyone’s benefit. For news organizations, the Internet is a daunting concept because it means making changes and taking a plunge into the deep waters of the unknown. But look at how it turned out for Gutenberg. He’s one of the most celebrated men on the planet because he rode the tide instead of being sucked into fear of the mysterious, which is what’s happening to some conventional media because they dread change. And to pay for it, they’re losing much needed money.

The lesson here is not to fear change. Instead, embrace it and the opportunities that accompany it. If you don’t, you’re going to be left behind.

Courtney Drake is a junior journalism major. E-mail: drakec@pop.belmont.edu.