Introduction

Crossmedia & Journalism

Changes in digital and online journalism

Journalism is considered to be the fourth power after the legislative, executive and judical power. With power comes responsibility and with technological innovation comes inevitable change. It is not black and white anymore. 

Technological innovation, which previously allowed the mass distribution of news and information to large audiences, is now giving that power to individuals. Digital journalism is creating a new media landscape for the 21st century, with low barrier to entry, coputer networking technologies, and new writing genres such as blogs. Freed from the necessity of large investments in distribution and production equipment, individuals and grass-root organizations have pioneered various new journalistic styles and practices and generated new communicative forms such as YouTube and hyperlocal geographically-based websites.

The repurposing of print content for an online audience is sufficient for some, while others require content created with the digital medium’s unique features like hypertextuality. Online journalism can be functionally differentiated from other kinds of journalism by its technological component which journalists have to consider when creating or displaying content. The difference of digital journalism from traditional journalism may be in its reconceptualised role of the reporter in relation to audiences and news organizations. 

Newspapers rarely break news stories any more, with most websites reporting on breaking news before the cable news channels. Digital journalism allows for reports to start out vague and generalized, and progress to a better story. Newspapers and TV cable are at a disadvantage because they generally can only put together stories when an ample amount of detail and information are available. Often, newspapers have to wait for the next day, or even two days later if it is a late-breaking story, before being able to publish it. Newspapers lose a lot of ground to their online counterparts, with ad revenue shifting to the Internet, and subscription to the printed paper decreasing. People are now able to find the news they want, when they want, without having to leave their homes or pay to receive the news. 

(Wikipedia)