In this week’s class, we were taught about the dimension aspects of journalism in today’s time. How journalism back then was as simple as a few people gathering around a small transmitter radio, listening intently for what the speaker is omitting. In contrast to now, which the rise of the media evolution is providing the opportunities and freedom of extracting news via the internet. This evolution has changed the course of history, of how a news or story is being represented and told to the entire populous. Regardless of the phenomenon changed by the media evolution, “journalism itself doesn’t dies but journalism is in fact a history on a run” as quoted by Thomas Griffith, a US broadcaster. This simply means that journalism is a form of human rights that can never dies and be silent into history. (Gilmor 2004)
Moving on, let’s look deeply into what the core purpose of journalism is. In our modern society, journalism acts as a transparent role in providing citizens with the information they need to be free and self-governing.( Berger 2003) This is inferred by saying that journalism is a platform of creating and distributing information to the public that is sought out to be heard or not. Journalism has a role to maintain and be enforced by professional a set of routines that are said to guarantee the quality and neutrality of institutional journalism in the eyes of public, in the long run. (Domingo et al 2008)
This goes by saying; journalism today poses a significance difference as compared to back then, due to the emergence of the media revolution that has changed a fact in history on how news and stories today are being told. Back then, news and stories were told through traditional medium such as newspaper publications and televisions where people felt comfortable and trustworthy enough to extract information from these media centres. Then comes the age of convergence where people are starting to move from the traditional phase to accepting a whole new media platform such as the internet. (Berger 2003) Hence, there’s a shift in the consumer culture (where people used to only receive information) to the prosumer culture (where people not only received information but create information to be disseminated out). Evidently, more and more freelance journalists and independent journalistic organizations are emerging in the public to participate in this news media by creating user generated content that is publicized through channels such as Youtube, blogs, Facebook and etc. (Manovich 2009)
It is no longer about reading a crisis on the front page of a newspaper or television as we have shifted to the real time web, and the news itself has shifted along with it. Just like how we do not find out about a plane crash on CNN. We find out due to the news and stories that goes viral on the web where people tweet, shoot videos, share their thoughts and viewpoints that is publish through the internet. Information doesn’t just travel fast but it is happening in real time. Interestingly enough, I think this is just the beginning of the golden age of journalistic writing. I can’t help but to wonder how the future of journalism would be like.
Reference
Berger, L 2003, ‘Shielding the Unmedia: Using the Process of Journalism to Protect the Journalist’s Privilege in an Infinite Universe of Publication’, university of Nevada school of law, pp1374-1383, accessed at 9/4/2014, http://scholars.law.unlv.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1683&context=facpub&sei-redir=1&referer=http%3A%2F%2Fscholar.google.com%2Fscholar%3Fq%3DIt%2Bis%2Bassumed%2Bthat%2Bthe%2Bprimary%2Bpurpose%2Bof%2Bjournalism%2Bis%2Bto%2Bprovide%2Bcitizens%2Bwith%2Bthe%2Binformation%2Bthey%2Bneed%2Bto%2Bbe%2Bfree%2Band%2Bself-governing%2B%2528Kovach%2B%2526%2BRosenstiel%252C%2B2001%2529.%26btnG%3D%26hl%3Den%26as_sdt%3D0%252C5#search=%22assumed%20primary%20purpose%20journalism%20provide%20citizens%20information%20need%20free%20self-governing%20%28Kovach%20%26%20Rosenstiel%2C%202001%29.%22
Domingo, D, Thorsten, Q, Heinonen, A, Paulussen, S, Singer, J, Vujnovic, M 2008, ‘Participatory Journalism Practices in the Media and Beyond An international comparative study of initiatives in online newspapers’, vol 2, no 3, pp327-331, accessed at 9/4/2014, http://jclass.umd.edu/classes/jour698m/domingo.pdf
Gilmor, D 2004, We the Media: Grassroots Journalism by the People, for the People, O’Reilly Media Inc, Gravenstein Highway North, Sebastopol, accessed 9/4/2014, http://dl.e-book-free.com/2013/07/we_the_media.pdf
Malnovich, L 2009, ‘The Practice of Everyday (Media) Life: From Mass Consumption to Mass Cultural Production’, the university of Chicago press, vol 35, no 2, pp319-331, accessed 9/4/2014, http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/596645?origin=JSTOR-pdf
chrissybcm310 