Jim Brady says he expects new hires to understand how people are consuming media. Brady is the executive editor at washingtonpost.com. He had an interview on the Mediashift Web site with Alfred Hermida, who is an assistant professor at the Graduate School of Journalism at British Columbia. One of the topics they touched on was job interviewing. Brady says he first asks in a job interview: assess the changes in media in the last five years and where do you see it going?
In the past five years the media has changed drastically. People are used to receiving the news instantly. News organizations are in a race to report the news first. They are in competition with each other and also with other non-traditional outlets. The social media has played a big role in the past five years. Traditional news organizations are starting to fall behind. The You Tube's, Facebook's and Myspace's are taking over the attention of Internet users. Myspace.com has been taken over by the corporates. They provide links to news, sports, jobs and other options, just like traditional news.
Citizen journalists plays a key role in reporting news. They provide an alternative to the traditional news, who usually filters out stories that are not as important. Even on the Internet there is still gate keeping by traditional news organizations. News organizations are beginning to decrease their staffs, which means there will be even less news coverage. Citizens doing their own reporting allows for more issues to be brought to life. Also, in some cases these stories can be brought to the attention of traditional news organizations as apart of their agenda. Usually citizen reporters are experts of their community. They bring a hyper local aspect to news, which is an advantage for small traditional newspapers. Small newspapers need to take advantage of citizen journalists in their community.
Blogs of course are the new alternative for newspaper coverage. Once an article is published the blog can be used for additional information and allow for reader comments on a story. The blog has provided a new way for people to get their voice heard. This is a good device to connect with small communities. Traditional media is consumed by the blog world right now, which has picked up over the past five years. Anyone can start their own blog.
The downside to these new forms of media is that they allow ordinary people to do their own reporting. They do not have to follow rules of concrete journalism. They are not held to the same standard as traditional news organization journalists. Bloggers do not have to worry about fact checking or providing sources. This will lead to inaccuracies of course.
The election coverage is beginning to pick up. I think there will be some inaccuracies in reporting, just as there was in the past couple of elections. People will turn back to the traditional journalists for their concrete reporting. News organizations have to continue keeping their audience involved in their work. Even if it is just providing a forum for people to discuss. Interactivity is the root to driving readership.
Showing posts with label journalism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label journalism. Show all posts
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Bashing your own school, who would do such a thing?
Everyone is entitled to their opinion. Especially when you have valid reasons to your opinion. Alana Taylor, NYU journalism student gives her opinion why her school is lagging behind in the new age of journalism. This was posted on the PBS site called Media Shift. She starts off talking about one of her classes called Reporting Gen Y, which is one of the few classes focused on new media.
I am surprised by this because NYU is supposed to be a good school to attend. I always hear the school in the media because they are known for graduating some of the best young minds in the country.
They are in the media capital of the world, which is obviously New York city so its shocking this particular program is lagging behind in the digital age. I mean they have access to top notch newsrooms in the city, so one would think they would have caught on to the new wave of media.
Back to her journalism program, she pretty much says the focus is to become an editor for a magazine or newspaper. Also, she brings up the point that the program pretty much discredits writing for blogs or Web sites. I find that odd since newsrooms are turning their focus to the Web. They are trying to find ways to generate revenue from the Web. Newsrooms are trying to beat out their competitors to have breaking news on the Web. I just do not understand how a program in the number one media market could be so narrow-minded.
Taylor goes on to say, "Obviously, I am being a bit facetious here, but the truth of the matter is that by the time my generation, Gen Y, gets into the real world there will be a much higher demand for web-savvy writers and thinkers than traditional Woodwards and Bernsteins." I thought this stuck out to me. She is saying by the time she graduates, but I think that high demand is now.
As I touched on earlier, all the newsrooms are trying to be the first with new information. Relying on the newspaper at this point in the media age will have you far behind in the competition standpoint. Even waiting on a television report is pushing it nowadays.
She touches on no one in her class of 16 students had a blog besides her. I thought this was interesting because it seems like an almost essential part of being a serious journalist nowadays. Blogs give a journalist personality and a better connection with readers. I admit I did not have my first blog until I started my graduate program with VCU. I wish I would have been blogging before this program though. I did not have much knowledge about blogs until this program anyway.
I find it very odd that these students are being asked to bring the hard copy version of the New York Times every class. It seems like they have to prove that they are reading the paper and from Taylor it seems as if they are only supposed to read news from the Times.
She goes on to say, "I don’t understand why they don’t let us access the online version, get our current events news from other outlets, or even use our NY Times app on the iPhone. Bringing the New York Times pains me because I refuse to believe that it’s the only source for credible news or Pulitzer Prize-winning journalism and it’s a big waste of trees."
I agree with her suggestions. Internet is so much easier and cheaper than getting the hard copy version. You are essentially receiving the same information. I think also the ability to get information from other outlets lets you have more access to different stories. Some stories deemed important to other newspapers in the country, may not be important to the Times. Students would miss out on more stories if they only trusted one outlet for news.
Taylor brings up very valid points in her post. I think sooner or later all journalism programs have to incorporate classes catered to the digital age. We are at the point where nobody reads newspapers. The late breaking news is on the internet. Blogging is the new fad. It's pretty much get with it or get left behind.
I am surprised by this because NYU is supposed to be a good school to attend. I always hear the school in the media because they are known for graduating some of the best young minds in the country.
They are in the media capital of the world, which is obviously New York city so its shocking this particular program is lagging behind in the digital age. I mean they have access to top notch newsrooms in the city, so one would think they would have caught on to the new wave of media.
Back to her journalism program, she pretty much says the focus is to become an editor for a magazine or newspaper. Also, she brings up the point that the program pretty much discredits writing for blogs or Web sites. I find that odd since newsrooms are turning their focus to the Web. They are trying to find ways to generate revenue from the Web. Newsrooms are trying to beat out their competitors to have breaking news on the Web. I just do not understand how a program in the number one media market could be so narrow-minded.
Taylor goes on to say, "Obviously, I am being a bit facetious here, but the truth of the matter is that by the time my generation, Gen Y, gets into the real world there will be a much higher demand for web-savvy writers and thinkers than traditional Woodwards and Bernsteins." I thought this stuck out to me. She is saying by the time she graduates, but I think that high demand is now.
As I touched on earlier, all the newsrooms are trying to be the first with new information. Relying on the newspaper at this point in the media age will have you far behind in the competition standpoint. Even waiting on a television report is pushing it nowadays.
She touches on no one in her class of 16 students had a blog besides her. I thought this was interesting because it seems like an almost essential part of being a serious journalist nowadays. Blogs give a journalist personality and a better connection with readers. I admit I did not have my first blog until I started my graduate program with VCU. I wish I would have been blogging before this program though. I did not have much knowledge about blogs until this program anyway.
I find it very odd that these students are being asked to bring the hard copy version of the New York Times every class. It seems like they have to prove that they are reading the paper and from Taylor it seems as if they are only supposed to read news from the Times.
She goes on to say, "I don’t understand why they don’t let us access the online version, get our current events news from other outlets, or even use our NY Times app on the iPhone. Bringing the New York Times pains me because I refuse to believe that it’s the only source for credible news or Pulitzer Prize-winning journalism and it’s a big waste of trees."
I agree with her suggestions. Internet is so much easier and cheaper than getting the hard copy version. You are essentially receiving the same information. I think also the ability to get information from other outlets lets you have more access to different stories. Some stories deemed important to other newspapers in the country, may not be important to the Times. Students would miss out on more stories if they only trusted one outlet for news.
Taylor brings up very valid points in her post. I think sooner or later all journalism programs have to incorporate classes catered to the digital age. We are at the point where nobody reads newspapers. The late breaking news is on the internet. Blogging is the new fad. It's pretty much get with it or get left behind.
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