Lewis University Podcast
By Ann Piasecki
The future of journalism
Considering the recent shuttering of newspapers and the overflow of information available on the Internet, I have to agree with the sentiments revealed by Josh Cohen, senior business product manager at Google News, in a Dec. 21 online posting of MediaMavens. The future of the news industry is “part trepidation, part excitement, part hangover.” What that means is that fear has cast a dark shadow over the traditional way in which news is disseminated. What it doesn’t mean is that credible journalism has been replaced by superfluous, unverified, unprofessional blogs, amateur YouTubes and abbreviated Twitter tweets.
I believe we’ve landed on the new frontier of news dissemination. Allow me to dissect the situation at hand. First, the old way of uninterrupted news dissemination (meaning the reader is merely part of a passive audience whose only avenue for comment is a letter to the editor) is shrinking. Second, what have lured people to online communications are the interactive capabilities offered the audience. For civics teachers, elected officials and the myriad of like-minded subgroups, this technological evolution is like manna from heaven—the masses are finally investing themselves in the issues of the day.
What the news industry will be exploring is the process of tapping into the plethora of innovative possibilities: How do we utilize citizen reporting? How do we verify the information? What are the critical and analytical components that need to be infused for the sake of accuracy and objectivity? Where is the authoritative source in the story? How does the news industry generate revenue?
Traditional media has indeed embraced the notion of digital media. It is part and parcel of news dissemination in the 21st century. Therefore, social media and Web applications are as much a part of the journalism curriculum as copy editing, feature writing, news reporting and investigative coverage. The core curriculum for journalism majors should include the basics of Search Engine Optimization, metadata, tagging, page views, concise writing for the Web and Twitter-size headlines.
We have an opportunity to reinvent ourselves. And the reality of such a move will most definitely be conducted through collaboration with the likes of Google, MSN and Yahoo. The significance of collective news gathering is bound to test the boundaries of traditional modes of competition (breaking the story). That is a matter for the publishers. For the individual journalist, quality still matters. Grammar, syntax, flow, style, research and face-to-face interviews remain the key elements of a worthwhile story. We are the eyes and ears of the larger audience.
In no other field but journalism do you have an opportunity to talk directly to local, national and world leaders or to interview real people about life and death situations. Being a journalist is a privilege. Personally speaking, the stories I have loved the most are the ones that made me cry. Because when I write a story, it’s not about me or my style; it’s about the topic at hand, the situation or the individual. I open my heart and allow myself to feel what he or she feels. I want more than to merely paint a picture; I want my story to breathe. A newspaper story, after all, is living literature.
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