No. Actually I’m not. But I’m still excited about journalism, and I got an A on my last paper, and I finished my Chem. Lab Speedy Gonzales quick today (this usually never happens), so I have some time to write a post.
This post is so I can “get discovered.” Because I’m gonna be a journalist. Right… Basically we’re encouraged in the class to have a blog to practice writing and reporting and other sorts of journalistic things, and so when we’re applying for a job we can be like, “Look what I’ve done!” However since I don’t actually want to be a journalist, I’m just doing this for fun. Anyway, here is a sample of my work, so all those big companies like the New York Times and the Boston Globe and the San Francisco Chronicles can find me and hire me. It’s an analysis of print vs. online journalism, and where the future of the journalism world lies. Kind of ironic – if any of you big wigs are out there reading this – well I guess I don’t stand a chance at getting hired based solely on my content. So here goes:
Newspapers a thing of the past?
We live in a dynamic world. Everything is changing constantly – politics, religion, the environment, technology, and even journalism. From the traditional “Extra! Extra! Read all about it!” paper boys selling the day’s hot-off-the-press newspaper to today’s 24-hour news cycle and 15-second sound bites; journalism has progressed significantly and may never look back. Just a few weeks ago the New York Times said that at some point in the near future it will cease printing the actual paper altogether and rely only on online journalism. Following this announcement the Boston Globe exposed its plan of next year having two web sites, one that is free with limited content, and one with full content that requires a subscription. These steps are the first in the mainstream journalism world to convert fully to online operation, and the future of journalism as a whole may soon be viewed only through a computer scene. However is this what is best? Or by switching wholeheartedly to online, are we losing some intrinsic value of reading a printed newspaper? To answer this question, we must analyze print versus online journalism. By following the Boston Herald both online and in print, we can weigh the consequences and benefits of this situation.
The printed form of the Boston Herald reads like a magazine, articles from cover to cover mixed in with pictures and advertisements. It makes it difficult to look for a specific story or topic if you haven’t had much experience with the paper. The first portion of the paper consists of general news followed by editorials, comics, food, and obituaries, and the final section of sports. The online version however, fits more with the format of a typical online newspaper website. There are tabs specifying which section you may want to read: news, local coverage, sports, entertainment, obituaries, classifieds, etc., making it easier to navigate. The online version maintains the tabloid feel by using more informal language, more pictures, and more sensationalism than a regular newspaper such as the New York Times. The printed form of the Boston Herald is superior to the online form in the same way that any newspaper is. You can take it with you on the bus or train, you don’t need any kind of technology to get the news, no internet is required, and you have something tangible in front of you, which may or may not in your opinion be a plus. The printed and the online versions are similar in that they, for the most part, contain the same stories and the same pictures. As far as quality goes, you’re getting the same product. However content changes throughout the day as news is created and added to the online version. The printed newspaper lacks this quick update ability and only contains the news from yesterday.
As it stands now, print vs. online journalism is a matter of preference. However this may change if online becomes the only option. With the rate of new technology being produced increasing exponentially, and the number of people with computer and internet access skyrocketing, it stands very probable that newspapers in printed form may indeed disappear altogether someday, an obsolete thing of the past, with newspaper companies instead charging for online content. With no overriding benefit of printed journalism, eventually, the online newspaper will become the only newspaper. Forcing readers to pay for online content is a right of the company. In journalism, news reports are the marketed product, and without income from the product the company as a whole stands to go bankrupt. Readers can always choose to go elsewhere for their news source; they are not forced to pay for online content. In our progressive innovative world, change is inevitable, and it is only a matter of time before that change hits the journalism world as well.
*If I were actually going to delve into this profession then you can be sure that it would be phrased in a much more journalistic and professional manner.
I SUPPORT YOUR JOURNALIST DECISION 100%. Ha, no really though, if you like it you should look into writing for your school paper, it's a possibility that you'll get paid to do something you frickin love. Assuming you frickin love spending all of your free time thinking about interviewing good sources and actually interviewing good sources, and also getting little to no sleep every week the night before a deadline. But ya know, it's still really cool, and I would recommend it.
ReplyDeleteI rely on 100% online journalism. This is because the newspapers here are mostly used to wrap meat with. Or, like, to read, maybe. But I haven't found any in English, so the NY Times online it is!
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