Category Archives: Digital Journalism

Digital Journalism Additional Comments

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To further elaborate on a point already mentioned in our blogs, in the past, we as consumers would go to a credible source to get the news.  Now in this digital age, it seems to me that we don’t really think about who is reporting the news, only what it is.  Maybe, in the past, it was essential to know that established organizations like CNN or the New York Times was informing us on what was important, but this generation cares more about the content and not who produced it.  I believe that there is no more loyalty in newspaper branding and that we seem to care more about believability than credibility.   So we are left with faceless journalism that empowers us as individuals to customize our news or archaic reporting with limitations that cannot compete with digital journalism.

 

Response #4 – The Concerns attached with Digital Media

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Usually when I think of journalism the first thing that comes to mind is J. Jonah Jameson and The Daily Bugle. For those that missed it that’s the news editior from Spiderman. He’s deceptive, cheap, and constantly twisting new articles to increase sales. The only things he got right was giving credit to his photographers and understanding that the world of journalism waits for no one. Just in assessing the advancements that are being made in technology, it is clear that every source of information and the way it is received will change with that. In “How Social Media is Reshaping News”, the first point that “roughly two-thirds (64%) of U.S. adults use the site, and half of those users get news there — amounting to 30% of the general population,” is the most interesting point. With each passing generation, the use of newspapers and the television to readily access news is no longer the most accessible.

My main concern in this age of digital media is the acquiring data while still respecting the ethos of new media and journalism. Advancements have called into question the accuracy of the information being circulated as every camera becomes a primary source to history. Things such as verification of facts and the source of credible photos and material are harder to identify as instantly with so many hands retweeting and recirculating firsthand accounts of the critical moments of history. As with the crisis described in Libya, the prime account was not told my journalists, but by a single resident that had a smartphone.

Another great concern is the disconnection with the content that is being exposed. As stated by Carroll, it is becoming extremely difficult to filter what the general public is releasing into the world. The example used of the Chattanooga Times-Free Press is just one example of the need to regulate the language of the people. With laws not being quickly changed to fit the growing needs of society, a void is created in which we as people become less responsible for the energy that is released digitally. This emotional disconnect with words make it hard to objectively add a important piece to the flow of information. All in all, my major opinion is that with all of the changes occurring, the time needs to be taken to evaluate every piece of the puzzlr

The Trend of Digital Journalism

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When I think of a journalist, I think of a person who stops at nothing to acquire as much information as possible to tell the facts about a story, without falsified information. When reading Photojournalism in the Age of New Media by Jared Keller, what he said that stood out to me was,  “a whole universe of photojournalists,  both amateur and professional, is made available to the public through social networks. ” Without social media, what would become of journalism itself today?

Journalism has sure made its advancements over the years but not without questioning its validity. Because anyone is allowed to report news coverage on their social accounts, doesn’t necessarily mean they are getting at the truth but maybe getting at the likes, retweets, and ultimately gaining an increasing base of followers. Without social media,  society wouldn’t be able to keep up with live reports, we’d still be waiting on the 6 o’clock news. As Keller states,  “social media, like so many other tools, isn’t inherently good or bad; it simply needs to be deployed in the appropriate manner to accurately tell a story. ” I completely agree with him in that sometimes, society loses sight of the truth behind a story in that people seek to carry on “the buzz” of a story long enough until it fizzles out and the next one comes along.

The speed and immediacy to share content on social media is great,  but how great is it if you put into question accuracy over time, the source that put it out there,  and video/picture content? As fast as it is to put content out on social media is as fast as falsifying the content or manipulating it to heighten the reaction of folks that could possibly feed into it. I’ll admit I get most of my news coverage/information from Facebook however, I tend not to immediately believe what I see and wait to see it on television and that’s just me. But others are very quick to read and spread the word without blinking an eye and I think that’s the downside to all this. I think social media is such a fad that’ll never go away that at this day and age,  anyone is considered a journalist or photojournalist.

A picture is worth a thousand words but what does it say when it’s being misread?  As Keller mentioned before, we have both amateur and professional photojournalists through social media and I believe Instagram is the number one social network for withholding them. You don’t need to own a Nixon or Sony professional camera because a simple camera phone,  much like an iPhone can do the exact same job. Keller points out in saying in his article that,  “new media is very significant in immediacy, but not totally in long term. It doesn’t matter if there are a thousand cameras, its the storytelling that’s important. A photojournalist with an artistic vision that transcends superficial coverage. It’s a different media space.” That media space is known as Instagram. Not that I’m saying everyone who owns an account is superficial but it isn’t difficult to find yourself putting up a front for your followers about how you live your life through pictures posted and 15 second videos.  This is precisely why I don’t have one. If anyone wanted to know who I am they can speak to me directly instead of formulating their own ideas through pictures and videos. People like to post #foodart,  #Godart,  and #ootd (none other than meaning outfit of the day) but how much thought goes into those posts other than how many likes you’ll get for it and how many followers will follow you on that particular day.  It’s all superficial storytelling really.  But who am I to judge? Social media is an ever growing movement and at this rate,  journalism can only get better or worse.

Digital Journalism

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Since the explosion of digital media, writing is more so referred to as the dying art. The shift from print to digital has severely affected writers of every medium. New media, digital media, digital journalism has changed the way stories are told, especially the ones told on the web. Although there are a few affordances that new media has contributed to there are constraints to it as well. One major affordances of digital journalism is it gives an author a chance to create content and have it distributed via the internet to millions of readers.

The world of journalism has changed drastically, journalism is not what it used to be. Nowadays, journalism is one of the most dangerous careers. Many journalist who want to report on foreign news are being tried overseas and many times killed. The ones who report domestically still face many of those problems. Journalists are also facing a hard time because many of the jobs are becoming contract based so there is no reason to have an in house journalist. The way journalist report current events has changed because of new technologies. Long ago, people relied heavily on receiving their news via major TV broadcasting channels or radio now many people receive there news via SMS, Smartphone Apps., emails, online forums, there is so much competition for journalist all around the world. Many of the ways we once communicated has seen a unforeseen change. The way information was once “fed” to readers/listeners has changed the way readers/listeners internalize information and use it. The amount of information that is available out there is terrifying. We are in this era of mass digital literacies, content overload, and big data that companies are spending billions of dollars to access information about their users like never before. Some of the information they pay to access and they become aware of may be detrimental to our health. As I think about the impact that these digital literacies has on the readers/listeners, I can’t help but wonder if our minds are becoming less stimulated and if the information seems mundane to us. It makes me think if we are really ever evolving with the internet. Certain sites have become so ordinary that the user may become disengaged and just passively surf the site. It could possibly affect the “mental” user experience. . .

As I read through “Photojournalism in the Age of New Media” by Jared Keller, I came across a quote that stood out, it read “News agencies are often happy with random snapshots from Egypt and they don’t necessarily need professional, thoughtful content all the time.” It made me think if images needs the content to explain it. For instance what if Frida Kahlo or Andy Warhol or Picasso had content to explain their works. . . would things have been different? Maybe pictures need words and vice-versa.

In essence digital media affects every career possible, each and everyone of us have to conform to the new technologies. Journalists have to wear many different hats than once before and social channels like Instagram and Periscope are making it incredibly easier to “showcase” your craft. It is a constant battle for journalist to create a authentic story that represents their uniqueness. To be honest, I miss the good ol’ days of when journalist strictly reported on current events instead of celebrity gossip and showing viral animal videos. In many ways they have lost a little of their credibility—what made them unique.

 

Response 4- Digital Journalism

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When I think of journalism i imagine a newspaper, a magazine and a reporter scribbling away in their notebook. Growing up a journalist was a writer, someone who literally chased down the current events and was on scene. Today however with the addition of the word digital to the phrase it opens a whole new door.

I think about how many views of the news are available to us today and how easy they are to access. When the riots in Ferguson happened we not only had the main stream media view we had the views of people in the marches, watching from the sides. There was a Ustream page which was live broadcast of the events from the eyes of the rioters. That is an incredible example of digital journalism by someone who probably has no journalistic experience whatsoever. That ability however greatly reshapes the idea of news, of current events. Now when we want to know whats happening in the world we can do it by clicking a hashtag or a hyperlink we no longer need to turn on channel 2, 4 or 7. We know whats happening before the evening news is even aired. Its journalism in real time. Even though there may be more fact finding after the event happens we still have the run down and anything that comes after is trivial or opinion based.

The other way the news has changed is through the option of photo and video. We don’t have to read an entire page to know whats going on we can look at a series of pictures or even a video of the event to know. For example yesterday afternoon near the barclays center there was a brawl between rival groups of teens from various area high schools. An onlooker shot video of it and that video sums up the event more than any article ever could (check that out here: http://abc7ny.com/news/video-online-video-shows-student-stabbing-melee-near-barclays-center/995944/ ). Not only does that video tell us what happened it also becomes part of the police investigation, social media posts like that one can catalogue the tensions leading up that and paint an entire picture without a word being written.

Photo based journalism that tells a story through mainly pictures with minimal writing are also changing the journalism world. I think of the popular FB or IG page   ( https://www.facebook.com/humansofnewyork ). This is a little different than reporting the news but its still telling life stories and points of view using photography. This is also what the 9-11 digital archive does, it tells so many stories through so many different photos and angles.

So yes the digital era has greatly altered the news and how we get it. We can log on Facebook and read 7 different posts about one event but i don’t think thats a bad thing at all. Thats 7 view points, 7 fact findings and 7 styles of writing to broaden our knowledge of a subject and in a diverse ever growing culture i think thats a great thing.

The Crisis of New Media Reporting.

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In recent years  there has been a move from print based journalism to digital journalism causing may characteristics of the art of  journalism to change. As in many other technological advancements there is always a loss, in this case it seems as though we are fundamentally replacing traditional aspects such as, seeking the truth, reporting that truth by way of verification and diligence. Not to forget the ethical and aesthetic responsibility to uphold. In this new era of everyone having the affordance to actively participate in news it becomes a constraint due to the fact that ‘citizen journalist’ create facts from fiction and spread it. These journalist do not do their due diligence and properly investigate but build a narrative built on pure speculation which I believe goes against everything journalism stands for.

In pure curiosity I did some research on what are the guidelines or oaths journalist and reporters adhere to . To my surprise I came across numerous websites that backs my initial thought that journalism has the duty to seek the truth by means of honesty and integrity. According to, The Sedona Observer, a website that thoroughly explains the code of ethics of journalism, it states that  “…journalism becomes a sacred trust in which the public accepts information as the truth and holds journalists responsible for upholding it.” Now with that said, I find it hard to believe that any of us who report on any media site takes into consideration the code of ethics that comes with reporting. I think the fact is many people only hold one obligation and that is to themselves. This media induced obligation that we must report our opinions, our feelings, our interpretation, and somewhere along the way we forgot that we actually have to report the truth.

In, “Photojournalism in the Age of New Media”, an article by Jared Keller, I came across an  interesting sentence, it read, “while a single snapshot may tell a thousand-word story the trick is to get the story right.” Bloggers, tweeters, Facebookers, and all other social media users drag from what they see. They pull together stories and create a new meaning under false pretenses. Now, do not get me wrong news being reported on a social media site is whats wrong but what comes as a result of it. People pick and choose on what to report, they misinterpret, and they make false allegations. Take for instance, the Reddit and the Boston Marathon bombing incident that was discussed in Brian Carroll’s, “Writing and Editing for Digital Media”. Sunil Tripathi was falsely identified as the Boston bomber after his image was placed alongside the actual bomber. The initial accusation on Reddit then spread to Twitter where the story transformed into a user claimed to have gotten the information from a police scanner. After which the tweet became viral. Tripathi was in fact not the bomber but had his character defamed due to hear say and the lack of verification of information and sources. People were so invested emotionally in the horror of the incident they forgot to investigate the truth from credible sources such as the Boston police.

Although, new media users have gotten a bad rep for performing acts of citizens journalism due to their messy and reprehensible acts of reporting sites such as Watchdog City, offers a platform which offers regular people who do feel the obligation to report on matters of injustice and social issues a platform to do so in a manner that does respect the dying guidelines of journalism. On Watchdog City, independent journalist register an account where they present their work to be evaluated by the sites credibility rating system and must follow a code of ethics as stated by the site. As so much damage has been done by reporting in a new media age a site such as this combines the new of the digital media and the old of the responsible to the public in a way that produces quality work based on diligence, credibility, and verification. We must remember that our words add to a global story and what we report is not just for our own personal debriefing but for the world to feed off of. It is our responsibility to report the truth even if we do not agree with it.

Response Blog #4 – Digital Journalism

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Journalism has seen a dramatic change in the way news is captured and reported.  Gone are the days when we would anxiously rush home to see the evening’s news broadcast, read the newspaper, or listen to 1010 Wins.  Not to say that people no longer do those things, but there are so many other mediums that are quicker to access.  Traditional news mediums are seeing a decline in ratings as today, more and more people are going online to get their news.  As a result, news organizations are having to find new ways of providing information.  I agree with Brian Carroll in “Writing and Editing for Digital Media”, that social media is an integral and integrated source and channel of and for the news, yet it is also a floodgate to potential problems.

Remembering a time when there was no smart phones or online access seems virtually impossible.  The tools of journalism were typewriters and newspaper clippings. Today, digital technology and wireless connectivity has caused a shift in society and therefore, a shift in news gathering.  In this “always on” society, we have mediums such as YouTube, Google, Facebook, and Twitter, where viewers not only read and view the news but participate in its content.  Never before have we had so many civilians photographers who immediately send in their snapshots after an event has just happened and instantly, it’s available for airing.

As said best by Nilay Patel, Verge’s editor, “Every story is a technology story; every technology story is a culture story.”  That is to say, our culture has saturated our stories and has shaped our perception. Therefore, different cultures perceive things differently and that affects how we translate and transmit what we see and hear.  Now for the journalist, that creates a credibility issue and often leads to poor writing and biased reporting.  In addition, anonymity is accepted more readily online than in mainstream news media.

That leads to the question: How should professional journalist use this new media to research and publish stories that holds up to the integrity of the story?  Traditionally, we put our trust in news organizations to bring us the facts, but digital technology has transformed the way news is told and has made it harder to verify accuracy.  While Photoshop and other imaging programs have made it easy to modify and enhance photos, information received from regular citizens may not be factually correct. Yet, journalist are still expected to be professional and are beholden to ethical and moral rules of practice.

These challenges pose serious problems in a society that expects instant news and analysis.  In order to help in this area, crowd sourcing is used as a way to extend the reporter’s eyes and ears into the community and beyond.  Sharing sources enables news organizations to cover more stories in depth and develops more accuracy in reporting.  By using mediums such as Twitter as a way to verify information, reporters can use a collective knowledge to get to the truth.  For example, it is much safer for a reporter to get tweets from Iran or Syria than to be there in person. 

Ultimately, journalist still need to know how to write, take photos, use blogs, podcast, and expertly analyze stories. What’s different is that they now share a space no longer exclusive to them. They are now part of a large collaboration of people operating on a social communications platform and we, who as citizens, without any formal training in journalism, are engaged in the writing, editing, publishing, and reading stories, and must critically view them.