New Media and Journalistic Reporting
From Baruchnewmedia
Contents |
Introduction
New Media is enhancing reporting, and also in many ways, saving the jobs of reporters and writers. As we all know, newspapers and magazines are dying. Journalistic reporting in print is pretty much over, the internet is creating more jobs in the news reporting business, and creating new outlets for media.
Journalism's Downfall
According to Journalism.org, Newspaper have lost 26% in ad revenue, bringing a total loss of 41% in the last three years alone. As we all know, without ads, these newspapers and magazines are dying. Many consumers have the option of viewing the same material free online, why pay for the paper?
"Local television ad revenue fell 24% in 2009, triple the decline the year before. Radio was off 18%. Magazine ad pages dropped 19%, network TV 7% (and news alone probably more). Online ad revenue over all fell about 5%, and revenue to news sites most likely also fared much worse." (Journalism.org)
New Media and Journalism Revenue
New Media is making some sort of revenue for Journalism. Former newspaper journalists are creating specialty news sites and also many community sites. This appeals to citizens covering neighborhoods, more emphasis on local blogs and of course social media (social networks).
"In 2009 Twitter and other social media emerged as powerful tools for disseminating information and mobilizing citizens such as evading the censors in Iran and communicating from the earthquake disaster zone in Haiti. The majority of Internet users (59%) now use some kind of social media, including Twitter, blogging and networking sites, according to a new PEJ/Pew Internet & American Life survey." (Journalism.org)
Local Journalism
Local journalism is growing rapidly and is constantly being innovated. It appeals to small towns, but also to major cities just as our own, Manhattan. Even FREE newspapers such as AM New York and Metro have seen a fall in readers, especially since the recession.
"If each online reader is worth 60% less than a print reader, it helps to have, say, 80% more of them (e.g. 18m online readers to your 10m or so print readers)."(Bradshaw)
New Media and Games Journalism
The traditional video games press (old media) has suffered the most at the hands of new media. Gamers don't need to purchase printed gaming publications as they can use the Internet for finding relevant information. Usually, a print magazine is published monthly, and will have on average a three month lead time between when any given article or review is written to when it is finally delivered into the readers hands. This creates a situation where print media is always a couple of months behind their on-line counterparts in covering news.
Future Publishing exemplifies the old media's decline in the games sector. In 2003 the group saw multi-million GBP profits and strong growth,[10] but by early 2006 were issuing profit warnings[11] and closing unprofitable magazines (none related to gaming).[12] Then, in late November 2006, the publisher reported both a pre-tax loss of £49 million ($96 million USD) and the sale - in order to reduce its level of bank debt - of Italian subsidiary Future Media Italy.[13]
Examples of New Media Video Game Journalism
- Blogs - Joystiq, Kotaku, Destructoid
- Online sites - 1UP, IGN, GameSpot, GameSpy, GamesRadar, Eurogamer
- Video-based website - GameTrailers
- Strategy guides and previews - Prima Games
- Print - Nintendo Power, Official PlayStation Magazine, Offical Xbox Magazine, PC Gamer
New Media
New Media has most news organizations, new and old alike, becoming more specific in context. There's more opportunity here for ad space with different sites available. This is also where competition comes to play, adding more outlets for us consumers, and better job opportunities for writers and reporters.
New Media and Journalism
New media has been a tremendous aid in the journalistic process. Google and other sources have transformed our society’s expectation into that of fast paced searches. We want our news right now, breaking and as stories develop.
Gathering data and/ or fact checking for a story has never been easier for today’s journalist. There are plenty of accredited online databases that provide researchers with the fast information they need in order to produce a well founded article. Edgar (http://www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml) is a database that provides full text access to SEC filings, ownership data, earnings estimates and company people. It also allows for journalists to contact company people for statements. The Associate Press, the largest news gathering source in the world, is another nexus in which reporters can verify data for their stories.
The Digital Age of Journalism
Another form of new media that has assisted the digital age journalist is Skype. Skype is a software application that allows users to make video calls over the Internet to other Skype subscribers. Paul Jones a clinical associate professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, teaches journalism students how to use technologies like Skype for conducting interviews.
Jones said, “…that using services like Skype enables journalists to interview international sources quite easily and affordably, not to mention that it adds a visual element to the text of the story.” Before Skype, in the age of old media, journalists would have to travel to get video recorded face to face interviews. It definitely was expensive for a freelance reporter to get the visual elements for their pieces. Air fare, hotels and other steep expenses can be avoided with the use of Skype.
Social Media plays a huge part in how people interact with one another in today’s world. There are 800,000,000 active Facebook subscribers worldwide and Twitter is becoming more and more popular. News organizations like the New York Times, recently appointed a social editor, to monitor the content of their social media pages. It is important for journalists to be active members of social media. Posting videos and links to articles is likely to maintain readership or possibly gain new followers if users share stories. This can also help determine which articles and or videos are popular and what interests the reader more than others.
Works cited
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"The State of the News Media 2010." Journalism.org- The State of the News Media 2010. Web. 25 Nov. 2010.
- http://www.stateofthemedia.org/2010/overview_intro.php>
- http://www.thewholechild.us/integrative_/2009/03/facebook-using-new-media-for-social-change.html
- http://onlinejournalismblog.com/2008/01/28/making-money-from-journalism-new-media-business-models-a-model-for-the-21st-century-newsroom-pt5
Bradshaw, By Paul. "Making Money from Journalism: New Media Business Models (A
Luvrisik, Vadim “10 Ways Journalism Schools Are Teaching Social Media” http://mashable.com/2009/06/19/teaching-social-media/ 2009
Model for the 21st Century Newsroom Pt5)." Online Journalism Blog. Web. 30 Nov. 2010.
4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_game_journalism#New_Media_and_games_journalism
