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Journalism is an industry that will never stay the same. It's not the same as it was thirty years ago or even ten years ago. As modern technology develops and advances, the profession continues to adjust along with it.
After the revolutionary invention of the printing press, the news was distributed through papers and continued to be the leading source of information for decades. Other inventions such as the radio and later the television caused a shift in the news industry and opened up doors for all new kinds of job positions. The biggest culture shock to the journalism business, however, came with the inventions of the internet and the cell phone.
People are now consuming vast amounts of news and information from an almost unlimited amount of sources at the touch of a button. This has caused a major shift and a bigger push for digital journalism. The increase of social media has also significantly influenced the journalism field as well.
Photo courtesy of The City Journal
What's Next?
So, what's next? This is the question that news organizations are constantly asking themselves. Owners and editors want to know how can they advance, and what trends are occurring in media coverage. Innovation is everything in this industry, and companies are certainly finding more creative ways to cover news.
VR Journalism
Recently, some journalists have made creative strides by doing virtual reality journalism. The goal of this, experts say, is to "transport viewers to a place where they would otherwise never be able to access, and allow them to build empathy by letting them become immersed in the story." Essentially, the goal is to almost literally put the viewer or reader inside the story. These stories typically contain audio and video bytes taken from interviews and information gathered by reporters, journalists and editors.
Drones in Photojournalism
Right along with VR comes a new emergence of drones in both photo and video journalism. This innovation has allowed photographers and videographers to go to reach new heights and obtain images that they've never been able to before. This is just another example of how technology is continuing to advance the journalism business.
How Far or How Much
While it's great to have these new innovations and creative ways to present stories, there are always dilemmas, especially ethical ones that must be evaluated. For each new piece of new technology, there must be new rules put in place to protect both the public and the media. For VR journalism, the big criticism is that people are worried that stories will be tampered or tweaked in order for the technological experience to be enhanced. Companies have assured, however, that editors and journalists will continue to report in a fashion that stays transparent. For drone photography, it's believed that people will be exploited or privacy will be invaded without consent or want. Professionals that participate in its use debate that point by using basic rules and guidelines that all photojournalists use. They treat it with the same rules as any photographer would.
In an industry that is constantly evolving, it's important to understand that we'll have to continue to keep ourselves in check ethically. As the new innovations come, we constantly have to ask ourselves how we'll adapt and how it will affect us ethically to adapt with it.
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