Traditional vs. New Media- The Showdown

In the Internet age a common question has become apparent, does it make sense to read a newspaper?

Even though 'new media' seems to be overtaking 'traditional media' in the communications horse-race, I have often been confronted with the issue that 'online and global media is killing the newspaper'. Traditional news media is faced with several dominant issues that are influenced by the rise and uptake of the new economy. As the new economy embraces ideas and thoughts, rather than physical capital that was the past, intellectual resources are taking the forefront (Rifkin, 2000: 1). Once dubbed 'the most stable variable apart from sex and date of birth', newspapers are declining due to a number of factors such as the cost, concentration of media and the introduction of online mediums such as blogs, forums, wiki's and online editions (Tunstall, 1971). According to Schoenbach, Waal and Lauf (2005), the widespread introduction of daily online newspapers has helped attract the younger generation; online newspapers will replace printed dailies in future generations as the printed version is not attracting young audiences.

We all know that more and more people are turning to online mediums, with their ongoing development, efficiency and superiority of the Internet (particularly Web 2.0), newspapers are lagging behind with major news breaks and current affair events and the speed of the distribution patterns of daily newspapers is incompetent in comparison to its online counterparts (Tiffen, 2006). Once the dominant channel in media, newspapers have little choice in having to reinvent themselves as the digital media age continues to dictate the future (Hartigan, 2007). A particular form of new media that is becoming an issue for traditional news media is citizen journalism and open source, mainly news blogging. Blogs are a form of online writing, reading and publishing, that promote self expression and leave the field open for people or ‘citizen journalists’ from all walks of life to create their own or contribute on others if permitted. Cunningham & Turner (2006) describe blogs as being, “an online journal, that offer new ways to distribute news, ideas, images, and sounds, and to comment upon, and link to, others work” (272). An important aspect of society these days, blogs free up the ‘playing field,’ kick off new practices and unwrap new spaces for a mass of communities with varied interests. The world is changing, the public wants to be part of the process, contributing to content and sharing information, the term 'passive audience' has become dirty (Hartigan, 2007).

You only have to log onto websites such as perezhilton.com or tmz.com to satisfy your latest celebrity news and gossip craving, or add Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to your Facebook to view the Labor parties current situation, and you can even receive constant worldwide news coverage on websites such as current tv or ninemsn. Overall, these online news sources offer everyday publics' or 'citizen journalists' to bypass governing media bodies to voice their opinions and deliver open sourced news. As Bruns (2008) explains, Internet fan sites, blogs and open source publishing all stand as indicators that the Internet sites with the highest levels of investment in resources do not necessarily research the widest audience. Not only this, but mainstream media like CCN and daily newspapers have turned to blogs and 'citizen journalists' for reliable and up-to-date sourcing, and are using these online mediums as a determinant for public opinion. As Hartigan (2007) explains, "newspapers are far from dead" but the challenge for the traditional media is to become part of the online scene (Hartigan in AAP, 2007).

In my opinion the decline of printed newspapers was inevitable, with the increased accessibility and growth of the Internet, online mediums seem more attractive. Newspapers are not dead, nor will they soon be forgotten, but they will one day permanently shift to global and online media.

References:

Cunningham, S., and Tuners, G. (2006). The Media and Communications in Australia. Crows Nest: Allen and Unwin.

Hartigan, P. (2007). Online Age Revolutionising Traditional Media. Australian National News Wire (AAP). August 7.
http://gateway.library.qut.edu.au/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&dc=anh&AN=74C252985&site=ehost-live
(accessed May 12).

Rifkin, J. (2000). The Weightless Economy. In the age of access: how the shift from ownership to access is transforming modern life. Sydney: Penguin.

Schoenbach, K., Waal, E., and Lauf, E. (2005). Research Note: Online and Print Newspapers: Their Impact on the Extent of the Perceived Public Agenda. European Journal of Communication. London: SAGE Publications.

Tiffen, R. (2006). ‘The Press’, in S. Cunningham and G. Tuners (eds) The Media and Communications in Australia. Crows Nest: Allen and Unwin.

Tunstall, J. (1971). Journalists at Work. London: Constable.

Citizen Journalism- Quality Evaluation

How do communities evaluate quality?


It has to be said that this questions can be answered on many different platforms and in a million different ways. For the purpose of this blog, the question will focus on 'citizen journalism' with regards to community quality evaluation. Citizen journalism is an act that has turned into a horse-race between 'little' bloggers and 'big' media.

Citizen Journalism is generally known as 'participatory' journalism', the act of citizens playing an active role in the process of collecting, reporting, analysing and distributing news and information. Best classified as journalism created by non-journalists. The 'act' generally includes DIY media content such as stories, images and video sources, open publishing and public discussions where commenting plays a very strong and important role (Bruns, 2008). As Axel Bruns explains, "citizen journalism and its allied forms of open news coverage (including news-related blogs) have developed a sophisticated array of processes, tools, and technologies for doing so, which are in place in different configurations across the Websites of the movement" (70).

Citizen journalism is an extension of a long-term trend, started from hard-copy/printing media, the activity has increased with the upsurge of Web 2.0. Personally, I celebrate the practice as it challenges mainstream media and brings real issues into light. It also allows 'us' citizens to bypass media governing bodies and red-tape to express ourselves in full form. As Bruns (2007) explains, "this dearth of alternative perspectives in the mainstream media (snidely abbreviated as 'MSM' by many citizen journalists and news bloggers) has become one of the major motivating factors for the establishment of prodused alternatives to industrial modes of news production" (71).

The question of credibility and quality often comes into consideration because of its sources- the 'citizen' journalism. Sourcing and credibility is often the underlying factor for community insecurity and open source unreliability. Katty S sums this up perfectly in some of her findings as she explains that, "The quality of any citizen journalism project reflects the contributions of those who choose to participate, and such projects can be havens for triviality or unreliable content. At the same time, many users are inclined to trust material they find online, particularly if it is called “news”. Look at examples such as Indymedia and Wikipedia, who are often questioned and critised for 'poor quality' content, but are still considered some of the most used, quoted and researched information sources on the Internet. When evaluating 'content quality' it is important not to police the system, otherwise the 'collaborative processes' often become like their controlled mainstream counterparts.

Overall, citizen journalism has both its strengths and weaknesses and I believe that it is an individuals choice to decide what sources to trust, read, believe or take-in. Mainstream media is often 'controlled' and misrepresents the truth or 'plays-around' with the story to adhere to audiences and regulatory bodies. All in all, I believe it is vital to have a variety of sources to help distinguish proper news and current events in all perspectives.

I know that I would be lost without my healthy daily dose of perezhilton!!