Online
Journalism: The Next Phase of News Reporting
By: Libby Morvin
Recently,
I’ve been disappointed with TV news, so I turned to the Internet.
I was overwhelmed by the abundance of information and began to wonder
about the trustworthiness of what I read. After all, anyone can post
anything they want on the Internet and call it truth.
While
researching online journalism, I found that there is an overwhelming
consensus that online reporting is the next phase in news reporting.
We’ve moved beyond static pages. Journalists can now back up their
stories by linking to other sources, providing additional information
as well as other points of view. In essence, readers are now allowed
to verify what they are being fed on a daily basis.
Elements
of Online Journalism
Doug
Millison, an established writer, editor, and Web designer, outlines
a few major elements that characterize online reporting:
-
Set in real time so events can be published as they are unfolding.
-
Adjusts for shifted time so readers can access archives at the click of a button.
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Includes multimedia features such as links, audio, and video.
-
Is interactive which allows viewers to provide feedback on news stories they read.
The interactive nature of online journalism is what many say will set it apart from print journalism forever. Millison says, “Readers/participants can respond instantly to material presented by the online journalist” by way of emails, threaded discussions, bulletin boards, and surveys. Thus, readers become something more than a static, faceless entity. They have the power to respond, opening a two-way dialog, thus pushing online journalists to become more conscientious and truthful.
Many
print-turned-online journalists say that dialog is what helped them to
become more thorough investigators. Charles Lewis, the former producer
of “60 Minutes” said he “felt stymied because he wasn't
doing the long-form investigative work he craved” in the television
media. So he quit his job and started up the Center
for Public Integrity with the goal of creating a “journalistic
utopia.” Lewis cites the greatest thing “is that you can put
a report up on the Web and it can make news all over the world in two
seconds. It's very thrilling.”
Engaging
Online Readers
John
V. Pavlik, the executive director of The Center for New Media at Columbia
University's Graduate School of Journalism, says that online journalism
seeks to “engage the unengaged.” He goes on to cite an example
from Dateline where they encouraged viewers to log onto MSNBC
to find out statistics about roads and traffic accidents in their community.
Pavlik said, “Within twelve hours MSNBC logged 68,000 visitors to
that feature.” This demonstrates the power the Internet has to engage
previously uninterested viewers.
The Phases
of Online Journalism
The
future for online journalism looks bright, as long as this form of news
reporting continues to distinguish itself from print and media journalism.
Most news sites are still stuck in what Pavlik calls the “first
stage.” They are re-purposing content from their “mother ship”
and posting it on their site. A good example of this is newspaper websites.
They simply post their printed stories online.
The progression to stage two in online journalism has been slow. It is characterized by journalists writing copy specifically for the web and supplementing it with links, search engines, and basic user customization. Currently, this is occurring at a few sites such as Wired.com and Salon.com.
The third stage will really distinguish online journalism from print or media. Pavlik’s stage three will combine the original web content with interactive media. Pavlik predicts online journalism will create it’s own voice or use “immersive storytelling.” Readers will be drawn into a news story with links, streaming video and, eventually, new technology which may include interactive elements such as 360-degree views of events unfolding. A good example of a stage three site is CNN.com, which combines original news content with a complete interactive experience.
The
Future Becoming Reality
Whether
Pavlik’s prediction about the future of online journalism is correct
or not, readers are still in for many changes. As readers demand a different
type of news medium, Internet reporting will have to rise to the occasion.
James
Fallows, author of Breaking the News: How the Media Undermine American
Democracy, commented, “the developments ushered in by Internet news
have been positive. Real journalism is being practiced there.” For
someone who gets discouraged by all the bad news constantly being force-fed
to me on the major networks, this is refreshing to hear.
Sources/Further
Reading:
Online
Journalism FAQ
by Doug Millison
Center
for Public Integrity Leading the Way for Serious Online Journalism
by Mark Glaser – An Interview with Charles Lewis
International
Consortium of Investigative Journalists [ICIJ] – First network
of investigative reporters from around the globe stated by Charles Lewis
The
Future of Online Journalism: A Guide to Who’s Doing What by
John V. Pavlik
But
Is It Journalism? By James Fallows
