The media-listic future of journalism

The Media Report of ABC Radio National recorded a podcast in May 2008 where Roy Greenslade (the uber-blogger for The Guardian) had a special discussion with some of the V.I.Ps of the Australian media - Campbell Reid, Mark Scott and Max Uechtritz - regarding the survival of media platforms for journalism.

Greenslade (2008) mentioned in the media release that "the single platform of the net will be how we'll receive television and radio, audio, and text in future". This is very likely to be true, as we can see how the world is revolving around the Internet these days. Almost everything and anything can be converged online, and the newer generation is more likely to read the online version rather than buy a hard copy from the local shop. Many newspaper companies are gradually uploading part of their sections online, such as the Classifieds ads.

One of the important points that was highlighted in their discussion is this: not only can the Internet incorporate old forms of media such as text and images, it also provides new functions such as added interactivity and user customization. A journalist can tell his or her own story by using whatever features are appropriate for a news story. For example, a journalist can write a news story about a major earthquake and add in a live telecast of the whole process (buildings crumbling, people panicking, etc...) to further enhance its new value.

New media can change the way journalism works. Everyone is a journalist and is able to upload and share their news resources all over the world. Add in hyperlinks, audio and video, interactive images and this will not only give the online newspaper a more attractive feel, it will also provide audiences with a much more engaging experience and in-depth understanding of stories being reported all around the world.



References:

• Greenslade, R 2008, Survival of media platforms for journalism, media release, 1 April, The Media Report, ABC Radio National, viewed 14 June 2009, http://www.abc.net.au/rn/mediareport/stories/2009/2436717.htm