- How do you think the Internet is changing journalism in your home country?
- Do you think blogging sites represent a step forward or a step backward from traditional forms of journalism and why?
Ans 1– I think Internet is changing journalism in my home country (India) in many different ways.
- The news & other magazine articles have reached to all new level of readership, because the printed newspapers &magazines & other forms of news, including sound & videos are available on-line, which can be accessed anywhere around the world, at any time once its available for reading or its made readable to public.
- The latest information/ news is available on the Internet, as it happens, along with detailed information, pictures & live videos as well.
- The Internet is changing journalism in India, with all the news channels want to keep the public updated with the latest happenings, as soon as it takes place. By uploading the information, recorded or live.
- With the help of Internet, the work of a journalist has decreased, as the same information or news can be uploaded on-line via Internet & the entire world can access the news or the information.
- Due to the Internet, the number of subscribers or newspaper & magazine readers has decreased to a large extent, as the newspapers are made available over the internet in the similar format, as it is when we are reading the newspapers, much before it comes in printed form in the newspapers.
- Globally there are mixed responses concerning newspaper circulation, with some reporting growth in Asia offsetting falls in Europe and the US, while other sources reveal “printed newspaper readership is now declining in almost all major economies,” including China and India.
- The Internet has brought great impact on journalism. It has seen the emergence of grassroots journalism, where non-professionals are able to contribute to journalism. This phenomenon ensures there is no more stifling of the minority voice.
- Another positive effect the Internet has on journalism is a wider representation on issues. It widens knowledge, breaks geographic & cultural. It simply brings the world closer together. Furthermore, it enables wider choices of information. People get to select what they want to read instead of being told what to read on mainstream media.
- Thus, interactive media helps the public becomes a thinking and reasoning society. Unfortunately, the Internet also brings negative influences on journalism. It allows defamation and libel, and has caused irresponsible parties to be sued. Moreover, irresponsible writers disseminate information that is not always accurate or reliable. They can say what they want without discretion and people confuse opinions with facts. This can mislead the audience to false notions.
- In conclusion, the Internet has both pros and cons on its impact on journalism. However, positive impact is stronger and it actually brings more good to journalism than bad because knowledge is made available for anyone, anywhere.
- Since the 90’s and the development of on-line media, ‘news’ has undergone many a transformation. Internet and social media exponentially accelerated this process. Content nowadays is no longer limited by local reach. A publication’s circulation and points of sale are no longer barriers for advertisers. Instead, in theory, with all modern tools out there, the entire world could potentially be within their reach.
- The evolution of journalism – In the early stages of mass media, big investments were required to create news. Not just any man could invest in printing presses, professional cameras, etc. Journalism was a privileged profession. But nowadays, any person with a mobile camera, smart-phone or computer can create content and use social media channels such as Twitter or blogging platforms such as WordPress to distribute this content; and consequently, start his or hers very own medium. For many publishers this evolution established a split within their editorial staff: print journalists on one hand and on-line journalists on the other.A recent study in Slovenia and Serbia (by Vobic, Milojevic, Ana (2013) ) showed that on-line journalists don’t usually consider themselves to be “true journalists”. Their work is often looked down upon as “copy paste media” and referred to with the term ‘churnalism’ as something that should be spat out. However, it is important to highlight the fact that on-line journalism thrives on speed, “fast news” and “credible information”. The job of an on-line journalist is to be a quick and effective messenger that brings news hot of the plate, even before the ink could have dried.
But there simply is no time to verify and double-check information! On-line journalists rely on the quality and accurateness of their sources. Why is this? For a publisher the fixed costs of creating content are predictably stable while the revenue this generates is not. The latter will depend on the reach of the content. The quickest news will usually grab the most attention. Leave it up to the social media snowball effect to do the rest.
On-line journalists will hardly ever write critical articles. They probably would like to do more investigation journalism, but simply don’t have enough time or budget for it.
Readings – Ten ways journalism has changed in the last ten years (Blogger’s Cut)
Ans-2 –I think blogging sites represent a step backward from traditional forms of journalism. The reason for this is- as below-
A blog is basically a journal that is available on the web. The activity of updating a blog is “blogging” and someone who keeps a blog is a “blogger.” Blogs are typically updated daily using software that allows people with little or no technical background to update and maintain the blog. Postings on a blog are almost always arranged in chronological order with the most recent additions featured most prominently. It’s also called a web-log.
It’s a website consisting of entries (also called posts) appearing in reverse chronological order with the most recent entry appearing first (similar in format to a daily journal). Blogs typically include features such as comments and links to increase user interactivity. Blogs are created using specific publishing software.
Many bloggers assume that blogging represents a step forward when, in important ways, it actually represents a step backward.
When it comes to conflicts of interest, or other questions of journalistic ethics, the proper attitude that blogers should take toward our counterparts in the traditional press is not arrogance but humility. In this area, as in others, blogs have far more to learn from newspapers than newspapers have to learn from blogs.
Readings
Do blogging sites represent a step forward or a step backward
Tech Journalism Blogging world 