tb225409@ohio.edu
Journalism is currently in a transitional period. Major news outlets like The New York Times are running their business through physical media, selling newspapers and magazines. Newer news outlets are finding that the costs associated with those products aren't justifiable and are turning to video production, website posts and social media to deliver journalism. There are also the in-between sources who are either trying to transition from print to digital or exist in both spaces.
At this point, it is difficult to tell what will be the most common delivery form for news, but it is interesting to be in the middle of a major transition in the profession. In times like this, it is important to evaluate what one personally seeks from journalism and see if it is still being met.
According to the polls conducted by stateofthemedia.org, the largest issue readers seem to have with online journalism is the fear that online journalism loosens standards. Basically, readers are comfortable with the traditional newsroom process: Journalists research a story, submit their work to an editor who thoroughly analyzes it, and it is posted in the next issue of their magazine or newspaper.
It is comforting to think the process is fairly stable and consistent in this manner. The misunderstanding comes from a lack of knowledge by the public.
Having personally worked for online news sources, I can say that in my experience, the process has been the same. I research stories, send them to my editor for proofreading, and they are posted on a website. The conception that readers of online journalism have is that the writers can post articles on their own with no filter, and therefore can inject their own biases into the writing.
Having personally worked for online news sources, I can say that in my experience, the process has been the same. I research stories, send them to my editor for proofreading, and they are posted on a website. The conception that readers of online journalism have is that the writers can post articles on their own with no filter, and therefore can inject their own biases into the writing.
It's really a "growing pain" that any form of new media will have. Online journalism still has no concrete, defined form or delivery method, like a newspaper on your doorstop every morning. Over time, I believe that as the audience becomes more comfortable with getting news online, these poll results will change. I'd like to see the poll retaken in two years to analyze the changes.
Places like journalists.org, which are giving awards to excellent online journalism, should be more visible. Websites like this highlight the best in online journalism in several categories, including breaking news and more in-depth, longer form stories. Seeing that these sources are producing content that is comparable to major magazines should help ease the minds of those skeptical about online journalism.
For the most part, online journalists working for major websites are trained similarly to how print journalists were decades ago. The AP Stylebook is still updated and used as a resource in university courses, the only difference being that it is now accessible online thanks to advances in technology.
The largest value that journalists strive to uphold is telling the truth. Those who are not telling the truth in reporting or advertising can be easily exposed these days with Internet research. But if a journalist is doing proper work, gathering sources and information legally and delivering information in a timely manner, they should be respected and trusted like any other journalist. Regardless of medium, trustworthy and talented content producers will rise to the top and validate the medium.
Journalism may be in a transitional stage now, but the fact that the public and journalists value truth in reporting won't change. It's impossible to tell how the majority of people will consume news in five years, but the people doing good work now will still be around in the future.
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