Social Media & Journalism

           

           Social media has changed the way journalist report news as it must be accurate and timely. Only the best survive in this dog eat dog world because of the advancements in the technology presented on such a platform. People now realize how viral something can go if posted on one of these social media sites so it is important for information to be accurate and up to date as it could have serious repercussions otherwise.

            With the use of these platforms, people are having less and less face-to-face interaction (Eastman, 2013). This causes more people to rely on news via the web rather than someone actually communicating to them what is going on. This can be difficult if you want trustworthy news, but for those who just want to read story after story, social media is something that would benefit them.

            The news that travels around social media today are stories someone has shared, then a friend shared, and so on and so forth. This is how stories go viral and people become celebrities overnight. This was non-existent a few years ago as it was not common to become an overnight sensation via a print newspaper.  

            Journalist have a thing where they publish now, just to correct later. In today’s world of social media, you can correct, but at that point, too many users have already read the misinformation. Do you want to be known as the one who didn’t get it right?

Eastman, H. (2013, July 7). Communication changes with technology, social media. Retrieved April 3, 2015, from http://universe.byu.edu/2013/07/07/1communication-changes-with-technology-social-media/

     

            With advancements in technology, there is no excuse for a reporter not to capture the whole essence of the storyline. People in today’s world want to know every detail about everything that comes their way. If there is something missing, they will find it elsewhere and continue to follow the other story to be in the “loop”.

            Technology is quickly eliminating the usual reasons reporters find to avoid creating material for their new media partners (Regan, 2000). In the beginning, people were use to just using the information they had rather than taking the time to dig a little deeper to find more information. Today, the use of the Internet has eliminated that obstacle. It is now forcing journalist to find the information because with a little time and effort, it is out there. Another way the Internet has been beneficial in the world of journalism is the way it drives down cost, made location irrelevant, and gives new tools to those who seek them (Ingram, 2011). 

            Driving down the cost to produce good journalism is a contributing factor to those who want to get their foot in the door. It allows more people to get in and find more ideas for the market. It also makes the oldies stay on their toes with the new trends. The Internet can provide tools to those who seek information, allowing them to utilize charts, picture editors, etc. Those tools are a great way for journalist to advance their careers as well as attending online seminars. Those alone could cost someone thousands, but with the ability to “Skype” into a conference, the bounds are limitless. With that, it makes your location irrelevant because you can report the news from anywhere.

            Having digital tools at our fingertips allows for better, more precise news to be reported.

Ingram, M. (2011, July 21). Is the internet making journalism better or worse? Yes. Retrieved March 29, 2015, from https://gigaom.com/2011/07/21/is-the-internet-making-journalism-better-or-worse-yes/

Regan, T. (2000, December 15). Technology Is Changing Journalism. Retrieved March 29, 2015, from http://niemanreports.org/articles/technology-is-changing-journalism/

Communication has forever been a field where you either get it, or you don’t. It’s really quite simple, but with the new age of technology, almost anyone can make themselves appear as a rapid advanced communicator. This technology has really taken a toll on the old school journalist who have, for years, chosen to do things the reliable way. A few ways communications has expanded into the digital age are the use of digital recorders, cameras, and the use of the World Wide Web.

            Digital recorders have been around for some time now, but they provide a more reliable way of reporting the news or events. Journalist can go wherever they wish with a tiny recording studio at their fingertips (Parker, 2012). This device now helps journalists report accurate information allowing them to re-listen to the information they have written in their spiral notepad.

            Digital cameras are also an advancement for journalist as it allows the ones seeking interest in photojournalism to expand their horizons. These cameras allow them to be freed from dark room processing which in turn allows them to capture more news (Parker, 2012). Should a journalist have to use a dark room for processing, it could take days for a picture to be ready. Here's a short clip on how dark room processing works. With the tools it takes to make dark room processing, there is no wonder it is going to the digital age. The costs of the processing chemicals alone would be enough to make one person go out of business. 

            The World Wide Web is also a dazzling tool as it creates a world where it is the go-to point for the globe when it comes to getting information (Krotoski, 2011).  Without the web, there were stories generated from different news articles, and if you weren’t the first to publish, you missed the train, per se. People want their news first and fast. If you don’t know, someone else will. This allows a game changer for those who don’t have all of the technology advancements. If knowledge is power, the web is the greatest tool in the history of the world (Krotoski, 2011).

Krotoski, A. (2011, February 19). What effect has the Internet had on journalism? Retrieved March 29, 2015, from http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2011/feb/20/what-effect-internet-on-journalism

Parker, P. (2012, April 5). Top Journalism Schools. Retrieved March 29, 2015, from http://www.topjournalismschools.org/15-interesting-ways-technology-has-changed-journalism/