Old Media Ousted by New Media Dialogue Replaces Monologue
The impact of new media has transformed the business and process of news-gathering and news reporting from a centralized, one-way mass communication system to a decentralized, multi-voiced conversation. What was once considered to be a professional prerogative is now thanks to technology, an occupation that any person with access and basic technological skills can undertake. The impact of citizens becoming journalists, participating in the dialogue that surrounds the events and trends of the day, has yet to be truly measured, but its effects are being felt every day.
The general attitude of old media defenders is that the Internet, and its growth as a flexible technological platform, wasnt meant to be used as a process for news reporting. That claim is true. But as we shall see, the fact that it became the conduit for a more interactive, dynamic and participatory system of journalism was not an accident the seeds of that transformation were planted decades before, when the news was merely all that was fit to print. The unexpected rise of new media has been well established. With the advent of new technologies, better and diverse communication interfaces like You Tube and Twitter, new media has become a competitive outlet to old media especially in the fields of news and journalism. Even though new media has established its success there lacks a thorough research into the reasons behind new medias success. Of course, feasibility of information sharing and communication are defining characteristics of this media revolution but as this paper will argue that the primary reason for new medias success can be attributed to the unique way it communicates or constructs dialogues with its users in comparison to old media. This study seeks to identify this as the basis of new medias meteoritic rise based on industry analysis, survey from journalists and relevant literature that highlights the social and cultural changes the new media revolution has brought.
It has been extensively reported that print newspaper distribution has declined significantly. An increasing number of readers choose to get their news from sources that are categorically termed as new media. As a result, advertisements have been moving away from print newspapers to those types of media that have wider and growing audiences. Cash strapped operations of print journalism industry have lead to elimination of hundreds of journalist positions thereby adversely effecting print newspapers and arguably their quality as well. The extensive availability of the Internet plays a large role in why more and more people are reading more news online instead print newspapers. It is estimated that approximately 90 million people go online to read news according to State of the News Media (2007). Americans now use the internet online roughly 9 hours per week, - an hours increase from 2005, according to University of Southern Californias Center for the Digital Future (2007). It also reported (2007, p. 2) that around 70 percent of Americans use the Internet for various purposes, a substantial increase from the 46.9 percent of users who reported home Internet use in 2000. The same report also found that as a result of increased internet uses, online users often stumble across news sites, even if unintentionally. The significant increase in broadband connections is one of the reasons for this substantial increase in time spent online, reported University of Southern Californias Center for the Digital Future (2007). One can therefore deduce that since readers have limited amount of time to read news, one might assume that having news served on them while they are surfing the net or conducting some other business online might offer more convenience in getting news from online rather than in print form. While this decline is clearly attributable to the advent of online and other new media forms, another factor that contributes to the effect is the general decline newspaper readership in both forms. For example, adults now in their 20s have not consumed the news at the same rate as 20-year olds did in earlier generations, according to State of the News Media (2004). The trend, however, was not limited to 20 year olds. For instance, the same report stated that based on 2003 data from Scarborough Research, a consumer market company, only 40 percent of people aged 18 to 24 read a paper on weekdays, and less than half on Sundays (48 percent). The figures are higher for people 25-35 - (41 percent weekdays and 52 percent Sundays).
One significant factor for the preference of online news websites over print news is societal. Compared to say 1950s when the only news source was either print or radio, todays digital age that demands multi-tasking deems it almost impractical to sit and wait for the morning news paper, especially when one can get real-time news from other media forms. Work schedules back then were more predictable and allowed for greater flexibility compared to work culture in the digital age. With new technology comes an eager society in which people demand content on their own terms as per their convenience. Aptness and expediency have become one of the key factors in peoples preference for new media forms of retrieving information.
In addition to busy work culture, a generally low interest in news might have contributed to the decrease in print readership as well. In numerous surveys many readers cite lack of time as a primary reason for their lack of interest in reading news. For instance, a survey conducted by the PEW Research Center for the People and the Press study (2002, p. 3) reported that Just 41 of respondents say they read a paper the previous day, compared with 47 in 2000 and 48 in 1998. Interestingly most of this decline was attributed to those between 35-49 years old. In any case, whether this decline in news readership is because readers arent interested or dont have the time, the same outcome emerges fewer people are reading the news.
Another major characteristic for the notable rise of new media is that the internet has led to a new era of interactivity, which is lacking in print media. In a digital age, rapid transmission of information creates a demand for interactive content. In the news industry we will see that this translates to a new breed of journalism called citizen journalism. The ability to exchange and debate ideas not in a University hall but at the comfort of your home not only gives user convenient access but a widespread choice in engaging in different areas. In contrast, if one wants to write a letter to the editor, this instant interactive feature competes with the time consuming process of writing by hand, enclosing it in an envelope, paying postage and mailing it when it comes to print newspapers. Using an internet, all this can be achieved in a matter of minutes. When online users post their views on a topic, their ability to express their opinions make them feel like they are part of what shapes the presentation of news. Another major feature of the internet media is the blog feature which makes interactive use of sharing ideas thereby attracting many readers online. It gives users autonomy of creating content and having their voice heard. University of Southern Californias Center for the Digital Future reports that most people, especially the youth give equal importance to their digital and physical worlds and some respondents were even adamant in asserting that a life without new media would unimaginable. Since, anyone can create a blog and physical distance is no longer a factor in terms of who one can interact with, the number of bloggers and people accessing news online to post comments is bound to increase. Another feature that accounts for the popularity of new media is the availability of multimedia features that are lacking in print newspaper. Online stories offer its readers the chance to watch videos and listen to audio clips thereby serving an enriching experience of reading news. For instance, videos allow the reader to relate to the victims of a tragedy or feel the joy or pain of someone in distress or someone in celebration. This humanizes the story and creates an overall emotional impact on the reader. Moreover, the experience of watching stories on video seems to be more appealing than pouring over text-heavy print stories.
Social networking sites, blogs, video and other information sharing sites exhibit stark differences not only in making news and information accessible (the medium) but also in the content of what is relayed to the world. While most of the original news reporting is procured from newspaper journalists, the advent of new media and the influx of technology have conceived the notion of the citizen journalism where actions of citizen can increasingly impact reporting of news and its overall effect. A survey conducted by the Pew Research Survey shows new media and old media at odds in the content that both mediums focus and provide. The research accumulated data on various top news and information that were discussed and linked to other sites and blogs for over a year. The study also analyzed the video sharing website, YouTube for the most watch news related clips. The study clearly showed that the news that gained attention on social media websites and blogs significantly differed from that which appeared on mainstream press. But they also differ greatly from each other. Of the twenty nine weeks that the center tracked three social platforms, blogs, Twitter and YouTube, all shared the same top story only once. Moreover, each social media website or medium seems to have it own unique character. For instance, bloggers tended to those stories that evoked some kind of emotional response in their audience or inspired some idealistic concept for a particular area of concern. The following table obtained from the study shows a comparison of the kind of news that receives the most attention on different media platforms.
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Despite the difference in content, all three social platforms namely facebook, twitter and YouTube one finds that the attention spans were very brief. For instance, 53 of the lead stories on a blog in a given week stay on the list no more than three days. On Twitter that is true of 72 of lead stories and more than half (52) are on the list for just twenty four hours.
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Social media websites tend to prefer those stories that get much less attention in the mainstream press. These are some conclusions drawn from one of the first comprehensive empirical assessments of the relationships between social media and the more traditional press. The following findings were taken from the Pew Research Centers report summary.
Social media and the mainstream press clearly embrace different agendas. Blogs shared the same lead story with traditional media in just 13 of the 49 weeks studied. Twitter was even less likely to share the traditional media agenda -- the lead story matched that of the mainstream press in just four weeks of the 29 weeks studied. On YouTube, the top stories overlapped with traditional media eight out of 49 weeks.
The stories that gain traction in social media do so quickly, often within hours of initial reports, and leave quickly as well. Just 5 of the top five stories on Twitter remained among the top stories the following week. This was true of 13 of the top stories on blogs and 9 on YouTube. In the mainstream press, on the other hand, fully 50 of the top five stories one week remained a top story a week later.
Politics, so much a focus of cable and radio talk programming, has found a place in blogs and on YouTube. On blogs, 17 of the top five linked-to stories in a given week were about U.S. government or politics, often accompanied by emphatic personal analysis or evaluations. These topics were even more prevalent among news videos on YouTube, where they accounted for 21 of all top stories. On Twitter, however, technology stories were linked to far more than anything else, accounting for 43 of the top five stories in a given week and 41 of the lead items. By contrast, technology filled 1 of the news hole in the mainstream press during the same period.
While social media players espouse a different agenda than the mainstream media, blogs still heavily rely on the traditional press -- and primarily just a few outlets within that -- for their information. More than 99 of the stories linked to in blogs came from legacy outlets such as newspapers and broadcast networks. And just four -- the BBC, CNN, theNew York Timesand theWashington Postaccounted for fully 80 of all links.
Twitter, by contrast, was less tied to traditional media. Here half (50) of the links were to legacy outlets 40 went to web-only news sources such as Mashable and CNET. The remaining 10 went to wire stories or non-news sources on the Web such as a blog known as Green Briefs, which summarized daily developments during the June protests in Iran.
The most popular news videos on YouTube, meanwhile, stood out for having a broader international mix. A quarter (26) of the top watched news videos were of non-U.S. events, primarily those with a strong visual appeal such as raw footage of HYPERLINK httpwww.journalism.orgindex_reportdecember_28_2009january_1_2010 Pope Benedict XVIgetting knocked over during Mass on Christmas Eve or a clip of a veteran HYPERLINK httpwww.journalism.orgindex_reportsocial_media_leads_sex_and_love Brazilian news anchorgetting caught insulting some janitors without realizing his microphone was still live. Celebrity and media-focused videos were also given significant prominence.
The research results outlined above clearly show the discrepancy that exists between old media and new media. The general paradigm for accounting for such differences has been to highlight the feasibility of communication and the interactive nature of new media. However, despite of these discrepancies between old media and new media there lacks a proper framework that accounts for them. To understand the reasons one needs to look at the theoretical framework that has shaped the discourse relating to the characteristics that define new media which also happens to give us insight, albeit a theoretical one, into the way that new media communicates with users. This will be followed by the methodological application of these theoretical constructions in relation to the way that new media communicates with its users. Using interviews and surveys we will attempt to construct a practical translation of the outlined theories in light of questions like how readers as well as journalists behavior has changed in response to advent of new media and how these changes have posed the counter effect of influencing the practice of journalism itself, especially the characteristic element of story-reporting.
New Media Meets Old Media--Medium Theory
The first of the tripartite theories that compose this dissertations is Medium Theory. In 1964, Marshall McLuhan challenged the conventional definitions of what media was perceived to be when he claimed that the medium is the message. With this claim, he stressed how all the then-current channels differ (print, radio, television), not only in terms of their content, which he considered to be only a secondary factor, but also in regard to how they awaken and modify thoughts and senses (McLuhan Fiore, 1967). He differentiated the media by the cognitive processes each required, placing a higher cognitive value on print, but a more emotional (visceral) reactive process to radio and especially television. McLuhan (1964) keenly noted that news was a core component of the medias we exist as message role and thus popularized the idea that media channels were and remain a dominant force that must be understood to know how they influence society and culture.
By focusing on the mediums characteristics itself, rather than on what it conveys or how information is received, McLuhan and others objectified the media and gave it a strength based on much more than a physical presence (Katz Lazarsfeld, 1955). In medium theory, a media channel is not just a newspaper, a radio, a magazine, the Internet, a digital video camera or anything else conveying a message. Rather, it is the symbolic environment, the contextual envelope, of any act of communication. Therefore, due to its widespread reach and mutability, media, apart from whatever content is transmitted, has a measurable and noticeable impact on individuals and society (McLuhan, 1978).
Medium Theory proposed that people adapt to their environment through a certain balance or ratio of the senses, such as auditory over visual in jungle-like environments and that the primary medium of any age brings out a particular ratio, thus affecting perception (McLuhan Fiore, 1967). To this environmental aspect was added the concept of time, as in the time invested to focus the senses on a particular activity. When attention is scarce, whatever method or system allows one to combine foci is deemed an improvement, thus leading to the observation that the content of a new medium is the old medium, in a sense, repackaged..
Medium theory examines physical, psychological and social variables as the senses that are required to attend to the medium whether the communication is bi-directional or uni-directional, how quickly messages can be disseminated, whether learning to encode and decode in the medium is difficult or simple, how many people can attend to the same message at the same moment, and so forth. Medium theorists argue that such variables influence the mediums use and its social, political, and psychological impact.
Modernization Theory
Modernization Theory is defined as the appearance of modes of social life or organization which emerged in Europe from about the seventeenth century onwards and which subsequently became more or less worldwide in their influence.(Giddens, 1991). Modernization Theory and variants try to explain the ways that communication and media are used in both traditional and modern societies.
Modernization Theory has been controversial and thus been altered fundamentally in a series of three waves. The original Theory appeared in the 1950s and throughout the that decade and the 1960s, Modernization Theory tried to explain the diffusion of Western styles of living, technological advances and individualistic types of communication as the product of an intrinsic superiority of Western culture and of individual motivation and achievement almost exclusively present in Western cultures. (Littlejohn, 1999). As can be expected, this culture-centric view was increasingly dismissed, leading to three variants in the first wave of change, each narrowing an aspect of Modernization.
Theory to strengthen the defined impact of mass media
1. That mass media is the key to promoting the global diffusion of many technical and social innovations that are essential to modernization. Think
business, economic and science news for the masses.
2. That mass media can teach literacy and other essential skills and techniques, encouraging a state of mind more in favor of modernity, or the imagination
of a different way of life beyond the traditional way. Think celebrity, new
wave and trendy news.
3. That mass media could support national identities in new nations (colonies)
and support attention to democratic policies (elections). Think political and
social news and commentary.
However, although these variants did further define the role and impact of mass media to some degree, they were discredited because of their now subliminal pro-Western bias (Schramm, 1964). The impact on news coverage varied from country to country, with some nations, particularly the U.S., focusing their news effort inward (what we are doing in the world) while others, such as England and Japan, focused in outward fashion (what the world is doing.)
The second wave of modernization theory is a part of the critical theory that was popular in the 1970s and 1980s. It did not support, but actually criticized the influence of Western modernization, leading to charges of forcefully imposing Western cultural and economic imperialism on the rest of the world (Meyrowitz, 1985). One aspect did stand out the idea that peripheral countries were assumed to be dependent on mass media, as provided extensively by the Western world, thus creating a media dependency. We shall see more of this dependency further below.
The third wave of modernization theory, rising in the 1990s, tries to be more neutral, neither in favor or against Western modernization. It focuses more on the contradictions in the modernization process and to explain the consequences of modernity for individuals in contemporary society (Giddens, 1991). Giddens showed that modern society is characterized by time-space distortion (time and distance lose meaning as the past and the distant are within reach) and disembedding mechanisms.
Modern societies can stretch further and extend themselves even more across space and time using mass media and interactive media to establish and strengthen connections. These connections may not be necessarily based on a shared sociocultural background, but are increasingly seen as based on personal preferences (Rasmussen, 2001). Disembodying mechanisms are things such as money, symbols, the use of English as a common language and the Internet, and these help present activities once embedded in particular material products and in limited places to the larger forum connected by the Internet.
This theme of combination of unification and fragmentation in society and in media use also is part of the rise of the new media primarily because computer networks, PDAs and cell phones have become important tools for modern life. They enable simultaneous reduction and extension of scale, creating a unitary and a fragmented world, a world that is both social and individualized.
New Media Challenges Old Media--Dependency Theory
The Baby Boomer generation saw television move into their homes and become the centerpiece of news and entertainment. For their children, growing up in the 1980s and 1990s, television was cable with 100 channels, all day news networks and take it with you media like the Walkman. The new media explosion emerged in the 1990s, as two generations watched a third grow up with global access and tools to make them known in it, such as blogs, podcasts, video casts and social areas like MySpace.
To describe this phenomena, Dependency Theory states that media is dependent on the social context (DeFleur, 1989). Media use and preferences are directly influenced by how society views it. In this way, Dependency Theory integrates several perspectives (Innis, 1964)
1) By combining perspectives from psychology with ingredients from social categories theory.
2) By integrating systems perspectives (how systems work) with elements from more causal approaches (why they work as they do.)
3) By combining elements of Uses and Gratifications Theory research (also discussed below) with those of media effects analysis.
4) By providing a contextual philosophy featuring traditional aspects of media use along with the content of media messages and their effect on audiences.
Dependency Theory proposes that there is an integral, almost symbiotic relationship among the audiences, the different media and the larger social systems. The theory states that a person depends on media information to meet certain needs and achieve certain goals, which is a common link with Uses and Gratifications Theory. But the fact is that people do not depend on all media equally with two factors clearly influencing the degree of media dependence (1) one is more dependent on media that meets a higher number of personal needs than on media that meets just a few and (2) dependency is heavily influenced by social stability, so that when social change and conflict are high, with established institutions, beliefs, and practices being challenged, the reliance on the media for information will increase, whereas in more stable times the dependency on media will drop (DeFleur, 1989). What was not in doubt under Dependency Theory was that there was a high degree of media dependency in societies and that much of the media was increasingly ineffective in meeting the more personalized needs arising from the potential of new media.
It is a basic principle of sociology that a persons needs are not always strictly personal, but may be shaped by the culture or by various social conditions. By the same token, individuals needs, motives, and uses of media are equally contingent on outside factors that may not be in the individuals control. (Innis, 1964) These outside factors act as constraints on what and how media can be used and on the availability of other non-media alternatives. And the more alternatives an individual has for gratifying needs, the less dependent he or she will become on any single medium. When the old media lost its aura of authority and objectivity, new media was there to provide a customized alternative for thousands and then millions of people.
Uses and Gratifications Theory
Uses and Gratifications Theory attempts to explain the uses and functions of the media for individuals, groups, and society in general. There are three goals that are guiding the development and research of Uses and Gratifications Theory (Donohew et al, 1987)
1) Explaining how individuals use mass media to gratify their needs, in essence, seeking an answer to the question What do people do with the media
2) Discovering the underlying motives for an individuals use of the media and why they prefer one media over another.
3) Identify the positive and the negative consequences of an individuals media use.
At the center of Uses and Gratifications theory lays the assumption that people actively seek out the mass media to satisfy their individual needs (DeFleur, 1987). Thus a medium will be used more when the current motives to use the medium leads to more satisfaction. In the realm of traditional news journalism, the mountain top was the newspaper and the TV evening news, a rarified air where news emerged with the power of authority. But faced with a 24-hour news cycle and increasing evidence that bias was rampant in the pursuit of ad revenue and ratings, the old media left much of its audience disenfranchised and disillusioned. Efforts by the old media to think local, act global were met with cynicism, as time and again news was treated as a commodity instead of a public good, in effect, making it a private sinecure (Watson and Hill, 1997). To the surprise and alarm of the old media, their once impregnable fortress of journalism was eroding, from within by celebrity news and ratings and from without by bloggers and a rising tide of citizen journalists.
New Media Displaces Old Media -- Expectancy Value Theory
Expectancy value theory is directly linked to and emerges largely from the Uses and Gratifications Theory (Fishbein Azjen, 1972). The Theory was founded by Martin Fishbein in the 1970s, based on research into attitudes about self-esteem and how the media provided positive or negative inputs to this pursuit.
According to Expectancy Value Theory, a persons behavior emerges as a function of the expectations heshe has and the value of the goal toward which that person is working. This value-based approach predicts that when there is more than one option for behavior possible, the behavior chosen will be the one with the largest combination of expected success and value (Fishbein Azjen, 1972).
Expectancy Value Theory holds that people are goal-oriented beings and striving to reach them with almost every decision they make. The behaviors they perform in response to their beliefs and values are undertaken to achieve some end, even if that end is not altogether clear to them at the moment. However, although Expectancy Value Theory can be used to explain central concepts in Uses and Gratifications Research, there are other factors that influence the process (Infante et al, 1997)
--Social and psychological origins of needs,
--Internal and external motives for behavior,
--Beliefs, values, and social circumstances
Based on these factors, people will make their decisions for seeking various gratifications through media consumption, as well as other nonmedia behaviors. In the search for news, a person may need a weather report for a morning drive or a bulletin to alert about an economic crisis. The vast range of needs in terms of news was traditionally handled by a combination of dont need to know, dont care, conversations and trusting the source. As the world grew more modern, more interconnected and faster, as information sources grew more dependable and old media became less trustworthy, the search for news became both easier and harder. Conversations with sources became easier as both audience and sources came together more often in accessible forums. The traditional response of dont need to know was harder to hew to as information seemed to prove daily that chaos theory reigned. The old response of trusting the source fell by the wayside and a new element--filtering--came to replace it, essentially a trustworthy source because it aggregated related information for the user to decide upon. And the dont care response held its own, as no media yet developed can overcome purposeful indifference (but it does have some influence on unintended indifference.)
Framing Theory
The concept of framing in the Framing Theory is related to the Agenda-Setting tradition of theories (Overview, 1993), but it expands the research by focusing on the essence of the issues at hand rather than on a particular topic. For example, rather than evaluate the frames similar to those used in the abortion debate, Framing Theory looks at the context created by the Abortion is murder and Pro-choice frames (Ball-Rokeach et al, 1990).
According to Fairhurst Sarr (1996) framing consists of three elements forethought, language and thought. To use language, people must have thought and reflected beforehand on their own interpretive frameworks and those of others so as to develop the intended frame. The language (combination of communication elements) the helps the individual to remember information and act to transform the way in which they view the situation presented.
Fairhurst and Sarr (1996) describe several techniques for framing situations. Amongst these
a) Metaphor To give an idea or program a new meaning by comparing it to something else.
b) Stories (myths and legends) To frame a subject by anecdote in a vivid and memorable way.
c) Traditions (rites, rituals and ceremonies) To pattern and define an organization to confirm and reproduce the organizations values.
d) Slogans, jargon and catchphrases To frame a subject in a memorable and familiar fashion.
e) Artifacts To illuminate values through physical vestiges (sometimes in a way language cannot, for example medals, trophies, monuments, warrants, etc.).
f) Contrast To describe a subject in terms of what it is not.
g) Spin to talk about a concept so as to give it a positive or negative connotation. (Davis Baron, 1981).
Some recent examples of frames include the Cold War, the Tea Party and battling cancer, phrases created and specifically used to elicit commonly shared images and meanings.
The basis for this dissertation of the Framing Theory is that the media focuses attention on certain events and then places them within a field of meaning, using words, images (if video or photography is used) and even music to create the intended context. Framing is an important topic since it has been shown consistently and across societal differences to have a major influence on audiences for almost every media.
The media draws the publics attention to certain topics because it decides what people are going to see and hear, leading to what they will think about. This is the original agenda, the basic frame, this setting of the thought. Beyond that basic context, often created without much thought, Framing Theory looks a the way in which the news is brought to the public, the frame in which the news is presented, the spin, which is also a choice made by journalists. Thus, a frame refers both to the way the media and its exponents organize and present events and issues that they cover, but also the way audiences interpret and react to what they are provided. Frames are abstract notions that serve to organize or structure social meanings that can lead to action or non-action. A frame that heightens emotional response is radically different, in form and finality, than one whose purpose is to downplay potential reaction, whether that reaction is storming the walls or modifying an opinion.
Under traditional media, framing was in the hands of print and radioTV. Over time, government, corporations and other entities began using framing as a way to enhance their messages or overcome that of others. Their primary intent was to create the Needle that would cure the issue or the Bullet that would lay it to rest. Thus framing is a tool of communication that leads others to accept one meaning over another. It is a skill with profound effects on how organizational members understand and respond to the world in which they live. It is a skill that most successful leaders possess, yet one that is not often taught. And one must not forget that media products are human products and that these constructs are ones that the audience routinely takes for granted.
Priming Theory
During the 1980s, as Framing Theory was gaining precedence, much attention in Agenda-Setting research was focused on the concept of priming. This concept was derived from the cognitive psychological concept of priming, meaning an increased sensitivity to certain stimuli due to prior experience. Because priming is believed to occur outside of the persons conscious awareness, it is different from memory in that memory relies on the direct retrieval of information, while priming relies on implicit memory. Research has shown that the affects of priming can impact the decision-making process (Domke et al, 1998), thus making it an effective tool for providing contextual influence.
Priming refers to enhancing the effects of the media by offering the audience a prior context a context that will be used to interpret subsequent communication. Basically priming creates a toolboxfilter kit that allows the person primed to come to a decision faster and more easily. The media does its job, positively or negatively, by providing the audience with selected standards and created frames of reference. In the old media, frames were limited, highly-controlled and difficult to challenge. The new media upsets that that imbalance in favor of the audience.
Agenda-Setting and thus framing refer mainly to the importance of an issue priming tells us whether what the person is exposed to is something that is good or bad, and whether it is communicated effectively (Hassan Thomas, 2006). The media have primed audiences about what a news program looks like, what a news report should be, what a good guybad guy dichotomy looks like and much more. Priming is now in the hands of new media, who can move quickly to either establish or undermine frames. Whereas old media can still provide gravitas to help cement a frame in place, it is in the new media that critical frames are being developed, each one priming sectors of the audience to greater awareness. There is a large possibility that these priming efforts, crucial to dealing with information overload in terms of personal time and effort to achieve understanding and satisfaction with the media, are actually increasing the information burden. However, it can be argued that when few or only one voice dominates the public discourse with its frames, when only one side gets to prime the message to the masses, then those people are ill-served by the masters of the message. Control of information is power, and better to have that power in the hands of the masses, of each person capable of using the tools of mass media, than to have it condensed into the hands of few. This dissertation will prime the notion that new media is freedom of expression--literally--personified.
Methodology
The methodology involves a wide range of sources related to traditional journalism and new media journalism, with special focus on the factors and theories that influenced the changes that led to the current situation in which new media is firmly established as a viable and effective alternative to the news produced by mass media. The theories outlined above in the literature review gives us a theoretical insight as to how new media, defined here in terms of internet medium presents a different way of communicating with its users. Of particular interest is the development of dialogue between media producer and media consumer, essentially the fundamental change between one-way transactions of media speaking to audience in favor of a two-way interaction in which the audience is almost always an equal and in some cases, the more powerful of the two entities involved. However, for the purpose of this study only people related to print, online and broadcast journalism were surveyed. A survey was selected because of ease of acquiring respondents and to pinpoint certain issues within the set of respondents, such as use of new media tools and comparisoncontrast of old media and new medias present and future. Given the scale of this study, one can only look towards the establishing the validity or the nullity of the hypothesis that new media communicates differently with the user, in relation to the content creator or producer i.e. the journalists. A more comprehensive would allow taking into consideration the perspectives and experience of the media consumers, namely newspaper readers, bloggers and social networking sites subscribers.
Key Research Questions, Points Assumptions
The three general key research questions of this study, in terms of importance were
1- Do content creators like journalists affirm the differences of new media and old media
2- How do they asses the differences
3- What role will new media play in the future of journalism
There were a number of assumptions and important points that preceded the study
1- New media here was defined as the digital and computer technology interface that revolutionized the world in the later part of the 20th century in particular the internet.
2- The focus of the study was specifically directed at the newspaper industry, even though the internet as new media as effected marketing and businesses as well.
3- Interviews with journalists would give a reliable assessment as to the way new media differs from old media.
4. Most differences would be characteristic of new media in general and would therefore hold validity in different industries as well.
General Assumptions and Questions to delineate ways New Media differs from Old Media
It is important to highlight the characteristics that would outline the differences between old media and new media. As mentioned before, since this study uses the newspaper industry as a model for research, the following differences were assumed in designing the questions for the survey and the interviews.
Effect on Users Short attention span of online users as noted in the earlier sections of this study would be discussed with journalists in interviews and the survey
Style The way stories are presented in print newspapers might or might not differ from the way they are presented for an online-only news outlet.
Content The study conducted by the Pew Research Center showed the stark differences in content that exists between news reported online and that reported in print. The questionnaire and study would attempt to account for these differences.
Language The expectation that online news outlets tend to informal compared to print newspapers which maintain a rather formal and straightforward rapport with their readers
Accessibility Despite the interactivity of the new media, one finds that old media is still the dominant in the news industry. For instance, research conducted by emarketer.com showed that old media still formed the preferred choice for many news readers. However, the study notes a dramatic increase in the use of new media forms.
In surveys and interviews, journalists would be asked their own view of the trend that new media would take in the future and if there any limitations for new medias growth.
Questionnaire and Interview Preparation
In this regards, a basic questionnaire was developed to interview journalists and media activists who combine three social media portals in their daily work. Here is a sample of questions that the journalists were asked how and when did you decide to use new media in your work What is the advantage if we compare with traditional media Has your social network increased since you have integrated new media technology Have you ever introduced changes in your work style and methods, copywriting approach after you entered into new media How has the new media changed the culture of communications etc Three interviews were conducted. Among those interviewed some maintained regular blogs without any prior or current journalism experience. These journalists and bloggers were sought through the use of Facebook and Twitter by joining organizations and creating a messaging loop with them to participate in the survey and interviews. There are an enormous number of news agencies and blogs registered with Twitter, e.g. Global Voices, Frontline Club, Trend news agency, ABC news, Reuters, USA Today, etc. Journalists belonging to these organizations, which were randomly chosen, were requested to participate in the study. This was a very fast and effective way to get access to both current journalists and other new media activists who were very helpful. As far as this field is new, people involved in this are very motivated to learn about current researches. Global Voices and Frontline Club is a space where both professional journalists and amateur new media activists log on. The latter are very active especially in the developing countries, as the traditional journalists face technical difficulties to enter into new media. As mentioned before, Twitter and Facebook were valuable sources to develop a discussion. The effectiveness of the tools used strengthened research.
This research item was sent out by e-mail to 51 journalists identified by their bylines in news reports from the U.S., Canada and Great Britain. The item was identified as part of an anonymous study (no personal data requested and no e-mails to be shared) focusing on the communicative differences between old media and new media. An inducement was offered for answering the questionnaire the results would be shared with the respondents.
Of the 51 sent, 43 were received, but 4 were rejected for being incomplete or having more than the required number of answers in multiple-choice items. Some questions have fewer than 39 respondents and these are identified. Data analysis was run on Statistical Program for Social Sciences (SPSS) to quantitatively compare and analyze the closed-ended questions. Close-ended questions were chosen to make it easier to reply and thus gather a larger amount of respondents. The goal of the questions was to help determine the level of new media tools used in journalism and the perception of the quality of journalism the respondents see in different media channels, including their own.
Some background data collected for this purpose is presented below
1) New media tools dominate the role of the responding journalists, with 90 using a smart phone, 92 using Twitter, 90 having an active Facebook account and 67 using RSS feeds for newsgathering.
2) Social media use is a key factor, with Twitter (92) and Facebook (79) as the leading sites.
3) About 83 of the respondents use their cell phone for 20-80 of their journalism tasks.
4) About 90 of the respondents interact with up to 6 fellow journalists a day. This tends to reflect the same number of colleagues a person would have in an office, though most of the respondents encounters are most likely virtual (online, cell phone, texting, etc.)
5) The most trusted news sources are news magazines, newspapers and foreign news bureaus, indicating a high level of trust for old media channels. New media channels rank in the middle, with radio talk shows ranking far below the others.
6) New media sources (online) were generally used more often on a daily basis than traditional (offline) sources, however, it is very possible that many of the sources used were online versions of traditional media (The Wall Street Journal Online, The Guardian Online, etc.)
7) However, news-oriented websites and non-profit investigative journalism ranked slightly higher than local and major newspapers in trust covering a news story. Blogs and advocacy websites ranked much lower.
8) Old medias biggest problems were seen as bias and poor selection of news, but not lack of connection with their audiences.
9) New medias biggest obstacles to trust seem closely inter-related perceived lower standard of journalism skills leading to less trust in the practitioners and thus their information.
Designing of Interview Questions
The interview questions were designed keeping the above general guidelines in mind. The surveys conducted indicated the question of how new media differs from the old media. The interview questions were designed to assess why new media communicates differently than old media. In other words, the survey questionnaire was a quantitative analysis of the problem and the interview with journalists were a qualitative analysis of the problem. The participants were given an overview of this study, what it achieved to show, what were the key points of the study and what were its expectations. For this qualitative analysis the following questions were designed
Do you think online news has qualitative differences from print news If so, why do you think such a difference exists
What role does language, style, presentation plays in creating content for internet news
The interactive nature of new media has been cited as the main reason for its popularity. Do you have something to add to that
Do you think which has more potential to create consumer loyalty Online media or print media Why
Do you think citizen journalism is a good thing or bad Does it have potential for the future
Suggestions for Further Research
This study should be expanded to 175-235 respondents across the same regions to determine if the results shown here achieve statistical reliability (98 ). A few questions should be added to determine working methods (research sources, news sources deemed influential) and zero in more closely on perceptions of old medianew media reliability (which networks, newspapers and websites rank highest, for example.) The study should also be expanded to include user views and experience in asserting the validity of the hypothesis. Questions that relate the user experience, their particular choice of news source, notable differences in using both forms, highlighting trade-offs, if any, in choosing one medium over the other and assessing their projection for new media and print media.
Results
The results of questionnaires and the three interviews are given below.
Questionnaire Results
Survey questions, answerspercentages and chartsgraphs below
1) What type of journalist are you primarily
___ Professional--Print 11 28
___ Professional--Radio 3 8
___ Professional--TV 2 5
___ Professional--Web 9 23
___ Citizen Journalist 14 36
There might not be much difference between a citizen journalist and a professional web journalist. However, the difference in what they cover can be, as the citizen journalist is usually free to cover any story that catches his or her interest while the web journalist is usually assigned to cover specific stories or provide greater background info on stories that the newspaper, magazine or free-standing website has already covered.
2) How long have you been involved with journalism
___ Less than one year 8 21
___ 1-3 years 16 36
___ 4-6 years 9 23
___ 6-9 years 6 15
___ 10 years 0 0
The experience level of the respondents may be considered low, however, if the time
period for new media journalism is taken as between 1998 (blogs appearing) and the present,
some 12 years, then the respondents are fairly experienced as a group.
3) Where do you do most of your work, i.e. producing journalism pieces
___ Home office 14 36
___ Media office (Newspaper, radio, TV, other) 15 38
___ Virtual office centers (i.e. Kinkos) 3 8
___ Corporate (non-media) office 2 5
___ Cafes (i.e. Starbucks) 4 10
___ CarVanVehicle 1 3
Mobility is not everything having a workplace is vital. Offices dominate, but to 8 of the
respondents, the office is wherever they happen to be. It is possible that the future of journalism
is more mobile that we anticipate.
4) How many offline news sources do you use a day (reading, research, etc.)
___ 0-3 2 5
___ 4-6 6 15
___ 7-9 11 28
___ 10-12 12 31
___ 13-15 7 18
___ 16 1 3
5) How many online news sources do you use a day (reading, research, etc.)
___ 0-3 0 0
___ 4-6 4 10
___ 7-9 9 23
___ 10-12 12 31
___ 13-15 12 31
___ 16 2 5
More online news sources are used, generally, than offline sources (by weighted average,
11.8 online versus 10.4 offline.) As noted above, it is possible that some or most of the online
sources are webs versions of offline sources.
6) Do you subscribe to RSS feeds __(37)___ Yes __(2)___ No
If Yes, how many
___ 0-3 9 23
___ 4-6 16 41
___ 7-9 10 26
___ 10-12 2 5
___ 13-15 0 0
___ 16 0 0
7) On a scale of 1 (no trust at all) to 7 (very trustworthy), rate the following media channels Averages shown
4.6 _____ U.S. Network television news (ABC, CBS, NBC)
4.1 _____ Cable television news (CNN, Fox, Bloomberg, MSNBC)
3.2 _____ Radio talk shows
4.7 _____ Newspapers
4.9 _____ News magazines
4.2 _____ News bloggers (Drudge, Talking Points Memo, Instapundit, Huffington Post, etc.)
4.5 _____ Citizen Journalists
4.5 _____ Non-profit investigative journalism groups (e.g. Pro Publica)
4.7 _____ Foreign news bureaus (BBC, Al Jazeera, etc.)
Depending on whether one looks at a glass as half full or half empty is the reaction one would have on the position of citizen journalism in this question. It ranks fourth, tied with non-profit investigative journalism and ranks significantly higher than cable news. However, it ranks lower than the bastions of print journalism and news bureaus. On the other hand, for a journalism tendency fueled largely by passion and technology, ranking as high as this in less than a decade is a worthy achievement. But we must point out that 14 of the 39 respondents sere self-described citizen journalists, the largest subset amongst respondents.
8) On a scale of 1 (no trust at all) to 7 (very trustworthy), rate how much youd trust a story you read in
4.5 _____ A major newspaper (The New York Times, Boston Globe, USA Today, etc.)
4.4 _____ A local newspaper
4.6 _____ A news-oriented website
4.0 _____ A blog
3.4 _____ An advocacy website
4.6 _____ A non-profit investigative journalism report
9) Would you attribute a difference in the use of language between new media and old media
AgreeDisagreeProfessional--Print
83Professional--Radio
21ProfessionalTV
20Professional--Web
72Citizen Journalist
104
10) Do you think stories in new media are presented differently than old media
AgreeDisagreeProfessional--Print
65Professional--Radio
21ProfessionalTV
20Professional--Web
81Citizen Journalist
122
11) Do you think new media relates better with users than old media
AgreeDisagreeProfessional--Print
92Professional--Radio
30ProfessionalTV
21Professional--Web
81Citizen Journalist
122
12) What percentage of your research is done solely on the Internet
0-20 0 0
___ 20-40 3 8
___ 40-60 19 49
___ 60-80 17 43
___ 80-100 0 0
13) In your work with new media do you think that new media requires content to be produced differently
AgreeDisagreeProfessional--Print
65Professional--Radio
12ProfessionalTV
20Professional--Web
72Citizen Journalist
104
14) Do you think citizen journalism is conducive to role of journalism in society
AgreeDisagreeProfessional--Print
47Professional--Radio
21ProfessionalTV
11Professional--Web
45Citizen Journalist
140
15) Is style a notable difference between print journalism and onlinecitizen journalism
___ 0-20 4 11 (35 respondents)
___ 20-40 7 20
___ 40-60 14 40
___ 60-80 8 23
___ 80-100 2 6
16) How soon do you think citizen journalism and alternative media will become the norm for news-gathering and news reporting
___ Never 2 5
___ 1-3 years 7 18
___ 4-6 years 9 23
___ 7-9 years 8 21
___ 10 years 13 33
A full 77 of the respondents feel it will take more than 4 years for new media to become the standard, or in the terms of this paper, for new media to replace old media. This could be seen as pessimistic, but given the size of traditional media channels and their decades-long process of building a power base for influence and profits, it might actually be firmly grounded in realism.
Interview Results
The five journalists interviewed requested to be anonymous in this research. The participants were therefore labeled accordingly to keep their identity hidden.
Participant 1
Do you think online news has qualitative differences from print news If so, why do you think such a difference exists
Definitely. There is no doubt about that. Online news is marketed like a product. The thing with online news is that you get to see and use the product like you would see a trailer before a movie. Print news in a way has been benefitted by this idea by having online websites. Before, a newspaper was a product you had to buy before you could even preview it. Online news has changed that. Thus print news see their websites and online outlets as advertisements of what they have to offer. In this way online news uses marketing tools and strategies to make the sale. In the end, I think that print news is what serious readers still prefer.
What role does language, style, presentation plays in creating content for internet news
Well print news content and online news content is practically the same. However, style and presentation are enhanced by videos and pictures in online news.
The interactive nature of new media has been cited as the main reason for its popularity. Do you have something to add to that
I agree. Interactive quality of online news is has been made communication easier. But I think that has its own drawbacks. By making communication easier, you comprise the quality. Anyone who has internet can say whatever heshe wants. Sometimes I receive hundreds of replies for an article and most of them are you know just not you would receive if someone was putting more effort and writing by hand.
Do you think which has more potential to create consumer loyalty Online media or print media Why
I think both. Print and online news are complementary. As I said before, online news for most newspapers are like an advertisement. But of course, print media needs to be competitive in order to keep its readers.
Do you think citizen journalism is a good thing or bad Does it have potential for the future
I dont think citizen journalism is good idea for the future. Although it can have tremendous benefits for reporting conflicts and disaster prone zones, I think you still need expertise to have quality journalism.
Participant 2
Do you think online news has qualitative differences from print news If so, why do you think such a difference exists
The only qualitative difference I can think of is that online news gives you more content as in video and audio and the ability to comment and discuss. I think this enhances user experience but can also make it clumsy.
What role does language, style, presentation plays in creating content for internet news
I think if you are talking about blogging in specific, I think there is a lot of difference. However, I am not sure whether this applies to websites of print journal.
The interactive nature of new media has been cited as the main reason for its popularity. Do you have something to add to that
Yes. Absolutely. Blogging is a living example of that.
Do you think which has more potential to create consumer loyalty Online media or print media Why
Consumer loyalty to news I doubt whether its even possible. I think most users out there would just go whatever service is convenient to them as per their needs. If you want to just skim news online is your thing. If you want to sit and understand issues you need to get the newspaper.
Do you think citizen journalism is a good thing or bad Does it have potential for the future
Citizen journalism is the next big thing in journalism. Even though it has been here for a couple of years now, I think it has lot of potential to change the very meaning of journalism. I know many people debate whether its capacity to be objective but I would argue that citizen journalism is the most authentic journalism you can have. I am sure we will see more of it in the future.
Participant 3
Do you think online news has qualitative differences from print news If so, why do you think such a difference exists
Yes. There are a lot of differences. I think that journalists tend to be more objective in their writings. Bloggers seem to have an agenda they are trying to raise awareness for or are just really social in sharing their information and thoughts.
What role does language, style, presentation plays in creating content for internet news
A lot. As I said, online news filtered through blogs and videos seem to be driving an agenda, catering to a particular audience, a particular interest which they believe in to true or right. This automatically implies that you have to be persuasive, rhetorical, sarcastic, humorous etc. in making sure that you are able to attract readers. I think its part of the freedom that the internet gives you its a luxury which print news cannot afford.
The interactive nature of new media has been cited as the main reason for its popularity. Do you have something to add to that
Its true that internet is fast and convenient but I still think that its the ability to present objective facts in new ways that makes online news better and popular.
Do you think which has more potential to create consumer loyalty Online media or print media Why
I think new media has more potential. With so much content becoming free over the internet, I doubt print media would be able to compete.
Do you think citizen journalism is a good thing or bad Does it have potential for the future
Citizen journalism is the wave of the future. I think it will increase in the future. But I still think you need full time journalists to do in depth analysis.
Discussion of Results
Multimedia journalism has immense promise in assisting journalists do their work more efficiently and engaging readers. This possibility partly lies in multimedia journalisms ability to cause much needed interaction, discussion, analysis and exploration. Many online newspapers are offering creative and distinct features that cannot be part of regular print newspapers. Also, newspapers sites generally comprise interactive features that let readers to remark on issues from the serious to the routine and to contribute in continuing dialogues with other readers, and perhaps reporters and editors as well. This is an extremely important development, stressing the fact that online journalism is not just suitable complement to print, but offers self-determining assessment to readers in its knack to present content that cannot be expressed in print form. Online exchanges found on articles published on the Internet have become immediate leading to the altering relationship between journalists and their readers thereby giving opportunities for readers to be more connected with their readings. Print journalists never used to have much exchange or interaction with their readers. Journalists would write stories and readers would move over after they had read it. The only way of contacting the journalist was to write a letter to the editor in which was an immensely time consuming task. In contrast, many reports today display their contact information write at the end of their online articles thereby inviting instantaneous exchanges with readers. It no longer a monologue, instead new media has revolutionized news to the extent that everything has become a dialogue, an exchange.
The aptitude for easier communication with editors and reporters is necessary for users that read news online. Most readers want to be able to have the freedom of making input and share their ideas and perspective on the news. Having this freedom also entails the popular notion of instant gratification in the sense that users get the feeling that their voices are being heard. This interaction has changed the relationship between readers and reporters to a significant extent. However, every transition has its pains. Some journalists who take traditional perspectives on issue argue that they should be the judge as to what is newsworthy and what is not newsworthy. On the other hand, there are journalists who take the view that readers should play an active role in defining what is to be reported, while keeping core journalistic principles of fairness, integrity and objectivity intact. In the survey conducted, print journalists seem to increasingly skeptical on the significance of citizen journalism. Out of 11 print journalists, 7 considered citizen journalism to be detrimental to journalism at large. It was surprising that web journalists would also take the same view. Out of the 9 surveyed, 5 were of the same opinion as print journalists. However, some print journalists concerns over interactive journalism are legitimate. Many users comments are profane and can easily restrict the possibility of professional discussion of issues. In dealing with this issue many newspapers need to monitor and set quality control measurements into place. Despite these differences it is apparent that a schism does exist as a result of interactive journalism. Diana Day, the creator of blogs like BeTwinned and inSierra Madre, writes the following about the ways multimedia could be counterproductive, The worst quality of multimedia journalism is when the multimedia aspect is trivial or is done just to fit a trend or just to go multimedia for its own sake. When the story is primary and when the storytelling medium chosen fits the story that is being told, thats when multimedia is at its best. The challenges and opportunities raised by interactive journalism should be balanced with the changing industry while keeping core journalistic values affirm.
One of the questions that were raised by this study was whether reporting of facts and figures on a particular issue enough to maintain readership The results of the survey and interviews show otherwise. According to journalists if the readers are not given material which can be turned around and put into discussion or if the story or article does not direct at readers personal interests then the newspaper is liable to lose its readership. For instance, complex articles or simple issues presented in complicated language are more likely to deter rather than attract readers. The struggle becomes a huge constraint over the readers interest. The surveys and interviews also showed that stories written for online news and those written for print news were different. Stories are now written differently, usually using a feature style or in short versions and the journalists have the added challenge of collaborating with multimedia designers to report news in a fair and balanced way while simultaneously ensuring that it appeals to audiences. Moreover, the surveys and interviews also showed that news content for old media and new media was altered to create audience appeal. The survey showed that apart from radio journalists, there was consensus among all media journalists that stories are presented in a different way for online audiences. Exactly what this difference is needs proper research. However, given that online readers generally have short attention span online content would particularly require news headlines that grab the readers attentions instantly. Content producers would therefore require the use of studies as to which online content layout on a news website engages the reader most. Short attention span also means that online readers would generally prefer shorter stories than long ones. In addition to this, the surveys also showed that the language used for new media was different from that of old media. Everyone, from print journalists to web and citizen journalists showed agreement over this difference. This is consistent with the previous valid assertion that new media does require different style and presentation of content. Blogs have a different way of communicating to their audience than print newspapers.
Conclusion
It is curious to note that despite the many futuristic references to the use of computers in science fiction, no one really predicted the Internet. That a limited-use network could become a global linkage network that we can literally carry with us at every moment is a spectacular achievement, one whose ramifications have just started to be understood. When old media ruled the pages and airwaves, their initial stance of being protectors of a public trust was a vision that kept most of the media on the side of the publics welfare (Gitelman Pingree, 2004). There were certainly many instances where this trust was badly handled or outright betrayed, but by and large the public trusted what it read in the papers, heard on the radio and saw on TV. It had no choice. As the old media became more adept at covering the world, it became less adept, if indeed it ever even was, at listening to what the public had to say. The closer journalism came to being a true power in its own right and by its own merit, the more precarious was its position, for trust is very hard to regain once it is lost
No one created the idea of the Internet for empowerment or individual expression. But a communication platform equally capable of covering the range of expression from one-to-one contact, all the way up to one-to-the-world was exactly what the public needed to start replacing the old media. The initial Look at me attitude of the growing Web quickly added a See what I see tone and visionaries such as Kevin Kelley, Editor-in-Chief of Wired Magazine and Dan Gillmor, new media analyst, realized that the platform also had a memory and that the combination of freedom of expression with the ability to edit and correct news reports was an enormously powerful tool. In effect, the ability Web users had now to share information was more of a political threat than an economic one (piracy) (Jenkins, 206).
New Media has yet to fully replace the old. It probably wont for a few more decades, though the pace of technology advances could render that prediction moot in just a few years. There is still a strong need in people to simply get the news from a source they wish to invest time in as easily as possible. For that, radio and TV are still easier to use than the proactive nature of mobile technology. But RSS feeds, aggregators such as Google News and heuristic-based filters that learn your preferences over time could very soon make getting the news youre interested in even easier than listening to the radio or watching TV. In fact, the easiest path to that is to have your choices linked to your car radio or living room TV so that the medium has your content on it, not what the old media has to say or show. Or merely replace radio and TV with your cell phone, a possible option right now. But unlike your radio and TV, you can use your computer, netbook and cell phone to reach out to others, to immediately share what youve seen, heard or read so that they get the benefit of your interests as their filter for whats happening, just as you get the benefit of theirs.
The technological impact of the Internet, mobile electronic devices, wireless access and audiovisual applications on news over the past two decades has revolutionized not only the way news is gathered, but also the very nature of what journalism is. The old media model was The news is what we say the news is, whereas the new media model is The news is what we want to talk about. In metaphorical fashion, the old media was a funnel, with the new media being a torrent overwhelming any funnel.
What these changes will cause in social impact terms is beyond the scope of this paper, but based on the research done, journalism has already changed forever and for the better. It bears repeating that Control of information is power, and having that control in more hands is a safer proposition in the long run. Bill Moyers once said that The quality of democracy and the quality of journalism are deeply entwined. The stakes are that high, even in countries where democracy is but a foreign concept.
One tends to think of technology as a gadget or machine-centered process, but in truth, technology also refers to mental processes. To learn how to use a digital camera, or Google someones background or upload a file takes minutes learning how to create quality journalism using those technical skills is a different matter. Just as the old media had typists and announcers, we have technologists, people with high capabilities in doing the physical work of journalism. It is the judgment system behind the technologist, as it was behind the typist and announcer, that ultimately makes the difference in the quality of journalism.
One advantage citizen journalism and new media have in this regard is that, just as everyone is a potential journalist, so too is everyone a potential editor and teacher. As ever, quality will vary, but gems are often polished smooth faster by being tumbled with hundreds of average stones rather than a handful of grinding stones, i.e., we can expect faster improvement with citizen journalists interacting with each other than under the old media editors in a newsroom model.
Finally, perception is reality. As grassroots news movements and non-profit investigative journalism start making increasingly-visible impact on topics and issues in the public eye, citizen journalism will rise in the publics esteem and trust. The easiest and most logical way to have this happen is for experienced journalists to join forces with amateurs and share the experience of developing new media news as a partnership. That is already happening, but the biggest obstacle to this fusion of old and new is not at the individual level, where choice ultimately reigns the biggest obstacle is at the corporate level, where profits are deemed to supersede other issues. The days of corporate dominance of the news are waning fast and soon, the chance for corporations to hold onto their sliver of control will be gone forever. It would seem their tactic now is to absorb citizen journalism, to make it part of their corporate structure. That is a two-edged sword, for authoritarianism in the free-for-all environment of the Internet is difficult to achieve, not to mention that when the corporate structure gets rattled by the passionate chaos of the new media, it is more likely that the rigid structures will fall than that the chaos will fall into neat little packages, pre-bundled for a return to the old days of corporate processing.
New media has created new opportunities for journalists but no matter what their learning curve is new skills need to be adopted in order to adapt to a changing world. In the above interview, Participant 1 shared his views on the challenges that face journalists
Not everyone is skillful with all the new storytelling tools, so sending reporters with video cameras for example, might be helpful or it might not be helpful of the reporter is not a visual person. Reporters have to acquire new tools and comprehend how these numerous tools apply to the story. Its stimulating to use multimedia tools in an professional fashion rather than in a negative way. It takes preparation to shoot good video, to record compelling sound.
New Media has created monologues and dialogues, tribal councils and board meetings, lectures and workshops, crisis management and scenario planning to which the whole world is invited to participate. Every citizen is a potential journalist, a force for good or bad, an activist or a reactionary. The power of the individual reigns supreme in this new media world. Control of information is power. Under the old media model, control was sought to preserve entrenched interests. Under the new media model, control will not happen from top-down imposition, but by building it from the bottom up, from the grassroots, where dialogue and understanding are key to building rapport. The old media knows only how to speak, but it is in the listening that new media will change the world...even more than it has until now.
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