How New Technology is Changing the Face of Journalism

Kelly Barrett
Kb732613@ohio.edu

In the current age of media and technology, people have access to almost anything with just a click. This includes anything drones can captures, to pictures and videos of violent crime or live streaming protests. It can give the public completely new perspectives that haven't been able to be down before but this can either be a good or a bad thing and often highly controversial.

The positive viewpoint is hope that the right image will enact a needed change in the wold, according to The Washington Post.  Although heart wrenching photographs or war, brutality and violence have been around for a long time, the immediacy of media today is something that could provoke change.

In terms of drones, the invasion of them often sparks controversy. Privacy, accountability, and transparency are ethics that need to followed by not only, governmental drone users, but non-governmental drone users as well. But with anything, there are still controversial views.

For news organizations, the rationale for not restricting drone use is simple. “You don’t need a person’s permission to photograph them when they are out in public,” says Osterreicher. The rules should not be any different, he says, if a photographer is using a camera attached to a drone: “We should not be creating new laws based solely on the fact that it involves a new technology.”

Something else that comes into play is virtual reality. Virtual reality is a computer-generated simulation of a three-dimensional image or environment that can be interacted with in a seemingly real or physical way by a person using electronic equipment, such as a helmet with a screen inside or gloves fitted with sensors.
This is technology that allows viewers to feel like they are truly experiencing the news rather than being told the news. But this also means that everyone involved must willingly be, and know that is more vulnerable than traditional news. In terms of viewers, it allows them to be totally immersed in something they would otherwise not have access to.

"Jenna Pirog feels that the ultimate goal of VR journalism shouldn’t differ from The New York Times’ bedrock goal of providing facts and letting the viewers build their own interpretations." 
However, because this is something so new, we are still learning so much. As more advancements are being made, virtual reality cameras are becoming more accessible to newsrooms, I believe it will become more and more common as well as useful. 

Guidelines for new media and technology are being put into place but because these things are so new and complex, guidelines are not going to solve all issues. Journalists, as always, are expected to uphold and follow their ethical guidelines and values. New technology is a pivotal outlet that can create massive positive change for journalism but if it falls into the wrong hands it could lead to disaster. 

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