How Online Journalism Has Changed

The creation of online journalism today looks completely different than 15 years ago, including accessibility and expectations. There are a multitude of factors that influenced this massive change; however, the content discussed in chapter two is a great place to start. First, the definition of who is a journalist has changed a lot in the online era, making it much easier to chase a career. Nowadays, anyone can make and publish news stories and put them on their own website. Since most people search for their news via the internet, many independent journalists can capture the attention of the consumers and steal their clicks from the larger organizations. Also, social media has heavily influenced what journalism is. For example, an X user by the name Rob Perez is an online journalist who only uses social media platforms to spread the news and cover sports news on a separate podcast.

Next, the 24/7 news cycle has heavily impacted online journalism and the updating of content. Consumers expect the latest updates as they come in and no later. People have come to forget the times of a morning and evening newspaper issue or morning and evening news. Social media updates are expected as soon as they’re discovered, which is followed by hundreds of other online journalists spreading the news. Journalists are expected to be available at almost every hour of the day in case new details come up or new leads arise. This also means that online journalists need to be diligent in their work and completely accurate. If not, the people will not only receive and spread the wrong news, but also likely never use your platforms again if you are independent. A broad example of the 24/7 news cycle is the 24-hour update sites, such as CNN for the election or NFL.com for the free agency tracker.

Also, convergence affects the creation of online journalism because many consumers expect a text report, a video source, photos, and sometimes even an audio clip, including interviews. This means online journalists must not only be prepared to stay equipped with all their gear just in case, but also efficiently combine all the media efficiently and appropriately. The other meaning of convergence is the news and tv stations combining news gathering, including journalists who produce content for broadcast, print, and the internet. One example of convergence in online journalism BBC news. BBC often combines all its media into one location and has journalists collect multiple types of media as well.

Finally, modular content is the process of taking the bits of content and combining them into a format that works for the story. Using the same news structure just won’t cut it anymore. Journalists must be more creative and catch their audience in order to keep them around. An example of modular content in the new age of online journalism is many of the breaking news, ESPN NBA articles that include off-court activities. Many of these online journalists structure their stories in a way to capture your attention; whether that be a quip, a story, or a strong, thought-provoking question.


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