It took the printing press 300 years to be adopted worldwide. For the internet, it was barely a decade. Thanks to technological innovations and affordable broadband services like Spectrum Mobile deals, and others, over 64% of the world’s population now uses the internet regularly. Over the years it has revolutionized not only the major industries but even parts of the everyday life of individuals.
Journalism has seen a major change from the days of morning newspapers and evening news programs. The Internet has changed the way traditional media is consumed and has created a newer outlet for news reporting. These changes will be further explored below.
Traditional Mediums
Traditional media mainly includes newspapers, radio, cable, and satellite television. Although still widely used today internet has had a major impact on their use.
Newspaper sales are graduating plummeting over the years. In the Us, the number of distributed newspapers has decreased from 63,340,000 to less than 25 million in 2020. Many consumers now prefer to read their news on mobile phones, tablets, or personal computers. Moreover with the widespread availability of Visible and audible media, many prefer videos with reports many newspaper outlets have now started publishing their newspapers online.
As wireless internet can convey information just as fast as radio waves, people can now listen to songs and other audio programs online. Moreover, people nowadays prefer media on their own time and leisure as such radio stations were bound to lose listeners. In response, many radio stations have started creating applications and websites where their listeners can listen to broadcasts on their own time.
Cable and satellite TV news similarly saw a drop in audience as people decided to receive news from online mediums. However, now TV channels have created their websites and youtube channels. Where subscribers can view live broadcasts and bulletins on their own time.
New Mediums
Social media has had a great impact on news reporting and has become a new medium through which people receive their news. Many people especially the youth prefer to receive their information through social media. Due to the connectivity provided people also share important news and comment online. Furthermore, people can now easily approach a reporter with an interesting piece of news. Many news outlets have dedicated accounts on social media platforms and use them to interact with their consumers.
Podcasts are another medium that has become a more popular method of receiving news over the last few years. Usually, people listen to podcasts to get more detailed opinions or descriptions of occurring events. These podcasts have given voice to people who normally wouldn’t have had a chance to give their opinion or reveal such information. For example podcasts on unsolved investigations, celebrity scandals, or corporate misdeeds have become very popular. It’s no wonder many people now prefer to listen to podcasts rather than the radio.
The News Reporting Process
The Internet has also significantly changed the news gathering and reporting process. Whereas the traditional method of news gathering is still as relevant, the internet has sped up the information-sharing process. Now large amounts of texts, Videos, and photographic evidence can be sent over large distances in a few seconds. This has further intensified competition between news outlets as no noteworthy event stays hidden for long however it provides viewers with real-time news. Journalists now have to be tech-savvy and skilled in using online mediums to extract and communicate information.
Moreover, with life streaming through mobile phones, any bystander can now report on any occurring event. The Internet has many platforms which allow reporters to share the news themselves without the red tape and politics of big news firms. In the past couple of years, YouTube has become a medium for sharing news.
In the case of investigative journalism, the internet has provided sources with an additional layer of anonymity and reporters now have access to more data than ever before. Moreover now reporters can report news on any social media websites if they are not accepted by any news channels.
The Negative Side
The changes haven’t all been positive though. With so many outlets and sources of information, checking the authenticity of sources can become a chore. This has resulted in heaps of Misinformation being spread around the internet. In the past, people would trust the news reported by longstanding news firms but scandals about fake news or biased reporting have resulted in people questioning the authority of not only the outlets in question but other bigger outlets as well. This has resulted in widespread distrust and conspiracy theories being spread like wildfire.
However, even now many firms are experimenting with using AI to verify fake information. Thus it is possible that with new innovative developments like these, we may still see a change in journalism in the coming years.
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