Maybe it's egotistical of to write about our own profession, but it needs to be said: Journalism is a scary place to be right now. The economy, along with the rising popularity of the Internet as a source of news, has journalism majors worried about jobs.

But what's scarier than job security out of college, is envisioning an America without the public's watchdogs.The First Amendment ensures protection for the press, not because our founders of this country were newspapermen, but because the press's role in public discourse and commentary are crucial to democracy.

Watergate may be the most well-known case of journalism's intervention in government, but it is your local reporters who are constantly keeping tabs on City Council, police and, in our case, the university's administration and organizations.

It's been said that journalism will never leave entirely, because someone will always have to provide the news - it is just print newspapers that are hemorrhaging. But with the rise of Internet-based citizen journalism, blogging and dominance of Google headlines, trained journalist are being eliminated.

That means fewer reporters asking question and monitoring public services. It means fewer resources to take on big issues. It means fewer people to keep track of our country's history.While bad press gets people's blood pumping, it is important to realize newspapers also act as publications of record. Without tangible documentation, we risk losing the monumental moments that define our country to a vast array of dot-com sites.

The morning after President Barack Obama was elected, several publications printed thousands of extra copies, and many sold out. People sold copies of the New York Times and Chicago Tribune on Ebay and craigslist. Who knows if the future will provide similar opportunities for citizens to archive moments in time.

There's something more credible, more real about holding a piece of history in your hands - a  printout just doesn't have the same effect.Regardless of the technology, people will always need trained journalist to bring them credible news. We have online newspapers, but with online's immediacy, it is too easy to bypass the rules and standards established for print news.

Today, more value is placed on personal blogs and political satire, such as "The Daily Show." But without subscriptions, reporters will lose their jobs. Without reporters, there are no papers. And without journalism, no one will have anything to comment on.

Is there a way to save print newspapers? Maybe, maybe not. The best thing to do is keep supporting local papers and cross your fingers that when the next historic event rolls around, you won't have to print it out on the same paper you use for your school work.