Living in the 21st Century, has certainly raised questions as to what the future of journalism is. The main argument surrounding this issue, is whether or not newspapers are still relevant, especially with more and more people turning to the internet to get their news. However, for the time being, newspapers are considered to be relevant. To illustrate this point, according to public opinion, newspapers were still relevant in 2009. A survey conducted by the Rosen Group in the United States found that of the 316 individuals surveyed between the ages of 12-72, 82.8% believed daily newspapers were still relevant. The figure drops to 45.5% when the same respondents were asked whether or not newspapers will still be around in 2019. This definitely bodes well for the immediate future of newspapers, especially in Australia where readership is only down .7%.
However, newspapers are struggling with advertising revenue online. One of the central arguments to fix this problem is that they should change their traditional business format and start charging for online content, which was brought up during the presentations. While the days of free online content are indeed coming to an end, the fact remains that it will only ever work with niche markets, including the Financial Times and The Wall Street Journal. This is because consumers of these newspapers seem vitally important to the Finance Industry. However, when it comes to other forms of news, the answer from the general public, as found out by Rachelle Money is a distinct “no.” In the same article, Money cites Arianna Huffington of the Huffington Post, who says that “the money making potential lies in search engines, online advertising, citizen journalism and independent outfits.” She states that, “the future does not lie behind a pay wall, and the restriction of information is not the way forward.” Instead, she recommends a hybrid system in which old media and new media work together. Money also believes in this idea. (http://www.wordtracker.com/academy/newspapers-make-money-online) . The video from Reuters shows just how newspapers are expanding their websites to remain competitive. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMn3SaFUdQQ&NR=1&feature=fvwp)
The argument mentioned above is definitely one of the ideas for the future. However, much like whether or not there should be pay walls, there is a huge debate as to the future of newspapers. Two examples of this are, Scott Bosley, Executive Director of the American Society of Newspaper Editors, who states, “The word newspaper is going to disappear. We'll talk about news' rather than newspapers” because there are going to be so many other ways that people get their news.” This is an interesting argument considering websites including Facebook and Twitter are allowing people to post their own feeds of news online before the newspapers can do so. In the same instance, John Hartigan, News Ltd Media Chairman and CEO, believes that Australian newspapers are holding up well compared to the US and UK. However, he states that newspapers will need to change to survive by “delivering more relevant stories written by highly qualified, specialist journalists.” The future of newspapers is definitely a talking point, but it seems as though they will still be around for quite some time, and are thus still relevant. Some of the editors that met at the World Editors Forum in Cape Town in 2007, explain how the digital age is influencing newspapers. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y68dySUNtZ4&feature=related).
All in all, the future of journalism is unclear, but it seems as though newspapers are still well and truly part of that future.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Friday, August 13, 2010
The continually changing roles of journalism-citizen journalism
The modern interpretation of journalism has changed dramatically since it was, as Michael Meadows states in "A return to practice: reclaiming journalism as a public conversation," "where disparate members of the emerging entity called 'the public' met to discuss politics, sport, gossip-in other words, experiences of the every day." One such example of its changing role is that it has become "the fourth estate," in which the media is now a watchdog over not just the government and the laws made, but also what happens in everyday life, which has culminated in the public not trusting the media.
Technology is also playing a part in changing the roles of a journalist, and has culminated in the rise of citizen journalism. According to Effie Moore Salem in her article, “Effects of citizen journalism on mainstream media”, it “is making a huge impact on the publishing industry.” (http://www.helium.com/items/1580208-effects-of-citizen-journalism-on-mainstream-media). Thus, it is the most talked about form of journalism in the 21st Century, and everybody wants to be a part of it. An advantage of this, is that it, as Emma Tucker points out, "exposes situations that perhaps otherwise go un-reported." Citizen journalism also allows for news to reach a larger audience, and is connecting more with a younger generation who are turning away from the mainstream media.
This is mostly done through blogs, which are "the internet's most popular paradigm." It is also having a huge influence on foreign policy of governments, as well as their policies. "Jane's Political Ramblings" (http://janespoliticalramblings.wordpress.com/). Joanne Jacobs states in "Democracy and The Internet", "the information superhighway has been promoted by political leaders and net-heads alike as the medium by which true democracy is attainable.” This means that bloggers are able to comment on any issue they like, without being punished for doing so. Blogs can also alert the world to events that we would not have known about otherwise, for instance during the Burmese Riots in 2007, or the election riots inIran
Other forms of citizen journalism, based on the internet also exist. These include, hyper-local sites, for example, Youdecide2007.org website, which was established during the Australian Federal Election in 2007. This allowed citizens to report news from electorates that we would otherwise have not heard of. In addition, an international example, that of Global Voices Online, allows citizens from other countries who are oppressed to find a voice, while Ohmynews, is a popular form of news reporting, as there are more than 41,000 reporters reporting on issues around the world.
All in all, citizen journalism, despite its negatives, especially in regards to information being incorrect, and neighbours beginning to spy on each other, has certainly changed journalism for the better, and is most definitely here to stay. Without it, we would not know as much as we do.
N . B .Media expert Jay Rosen explains citizen journalism in great detail in an interview with digitaljournal.com. (http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/292329).
Technology is also playing a part in changing the roles of a journalist, and has culminated in the rise of citizen journalism. According to Effie Moore Salem in her article, “Effects of citizen journalism on mainstream media”, it “is making a huge impact on the publishing industry.” (http://www.helium.com/items/1580208-effects-of-citizen-journalism-on-mainstream-media). Thus, it is the most talked about form of journalism in the 21st Century, and everybody wants to be a part of it. An advantage of this, is that it, as Emma Tucker points out, "exposes situations that perhaps otherwise go un-reported." Citizen journalism also allows for news to reach a larger audience, and is connecting more with a younger generation who are turning away from the mainstream media.
This is mostly done through blogs, which are "the internet's most popular paradigm." It is also having a huge influence on foreign policy of governments, as well as their policies. "Jane's Political Ramblings" (http://janespoliticalramblings.wordpress.com/). Joanne Jacobs states in "Democracy and The Internet", "the information superhighway has been promoted by political leaders and net-heads alike as the medium by which true democracy is attainable.” This means that bloggers are able to comment on any issue they like, without being punished for doing so. Blogs can also alert the world to events that we would not have known about otherwise, for instance during the Burmese Riots in 2007, or the election riots in
Other forms of citizen journalism, based on the internet also exist. These include, hyper-local sites, for example, Youdecide2007.org website, which was established during the Australian Federal Election in 2007. This allowed citizens to report news from electorates that we would otherwise have not heard of. In addition, an international example, that of Global Voices Online, allows citizens from other countries who are oppressed to find a voice, while Ohmynews, is a popular form of news reporting, as there are more than 41,000 reporters reporting on issues around the world.
All in all, citizen journalism, despite its negatives, especially in regards to information being incorrect, and neighbours beginning to spy on each other, has certainly changed journalism for the better, and is most definitely here to stay. Without it, we would not know as much as we do.
N . B .Media expert Jay Rosen explains citizen journalism in great detail in an interview with digitaljournal.com. (http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/292329).
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