Transcript Journalism online

Journalism online
The World Wide Web, the past, the present, the
future
It used to be …
We had three TV networks
 We had broadcast radio
 We had newspapers
 We had magazines

Later on …
 Cable television
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Along came the 1990s …
Early 1990s, the Internet starts to gain
popularity among the general public.
 At first, sort of a high-tech telegraph.
People used it for email, to talk to others
in chat rooms, AOL …

Since then
We’ve seen an explosion in information,
the amount of it available at the click of a
button, and the creativity in expressing
ourselves in the digital realm.
 Social networking, music and video file
sharing, blogs,YouTube.
 A revolution in communication

Traditional media and the ‘net
Traditional media sources have gone
through a number of approaches with the
World Wide Web
- Ignore it
- Dip a toe in
- Dive in
 Do their approaches make sense?

How do we use media today?
What sources of information do you use?
 Your parents?
 Your grandparents?

Where are we going?
The rate of change and evolution with
information dissemination is quite rapid
right now.
 What is popular today may not be
popular six months from now. Something
else may be the rage.

Scary and exciting
Rapid change is both scary and exciting
for those who work in media.
 Offers opportunities for creativity with
new products and new forms of
expression.

Traditional media vs. online
Traditional media: Two dimensional
 Online: Three dimensional
 Many of the tools, practices and principles
we’ve used in the past translate well to
the Web.
- Inverted pyramid
- Broadcast techniques
- The line is blurred between traditional
print, broadcast

Characteristics of the Web
Immediacy
 Flexibility
 Permanency
 Capacity
 Interactivity

Immediacy
Content is easier to go with immediately
online than in print or broadcast.
 Audience can receive instant alerts.
 Costs to place information online quickly
are cheaper than traditional.
 Audiences now accustomed to the
immediate dissemination of information
online.

Flexibility

Web allows for much greater creativity
with how info is presented. The story can
be relayed more effectively:
- Story, video, audio, q and a interview,
slideshow, graphics (interactive?), Web
chat, blogs, comments, on and on
Permanency
Web offers not only easy access, but easy
permanent access to info.
 No paper, tape, etc. to maintain. It’s there
and available all the time.
 Or is it? Is it permanent information if it
can be fundamentally
altered/removed/changed?
 Transparency.

Capacity
News organizations can enhance their
traditional products with Web-only.
 Provides an outlet for viewers and
readers who want a more in-depth
experience with a report.
 Allows those who want to explore more
about a topic to do that without seeking
out large quantities of physical
information.

Interactivity
2-D traditional vs. 3-D Web media
 Audience members can pick and choose
what they want to experience.
 More connection opportunities for
content producers with the audience.
 Allows site hosts to track popularity of
certain topics. Helps with audience appeal,
advertising.

Links
With interactivity, quality sites will
provide links to allow readers who are
interested in a topic explore more about
that topic.
 Links may also provide audience a chance
to see previous articles on the same
subject.

Old techniques that work
Inverted pyramid style, concise and
efficient writing, and lists of info are all
traditional media techniques that translate
well to the Web.
 Why?

Visuals, writing, the Web
We are a very visual society.You need to
remember this when writing.
 Short paragraphs.
 Varied length of sentences and
paragraphs.
 Bullets, bold words.
 Italics – use sparingly, and only a couple
words. No long paragraphs of italics.
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Headlines
During a Web search, what turns up?
 Headlines: Traditional vs. online.
 Clear, specific, to the point headlines on
your stories.
 Headlines are not there to tell the whole
story. Rather, think of them like an
advertisement for or a hint at what the
reader will find in the story.
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Summaries, intros, points
Some Web sites use short story
summaries in conjunction with the
headlines.
- Kind of like inverted pyramid leads.
 Intros: Often, videos are accompanied by
a couple paragraphs.
 Points: Sometimes, stories are displayed
with a few main topics/points.
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The more you know …
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It used to be that journalists focused on
being real good at specific skills:
- Writing
- Copy editing
- Design and graphics
- Photography
These roles still exist. But the lines are often
blurred now.
- The more varied skills you offer, the more
valuable you are to an employer.
More, but more creative
Being skilled in more areas allows content
producers to be able to pick and choose
the best ways to inform the audience.
 Story, slideshow, audio report, graphic –
all produced by the same person.
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The Web
Offers immediacy, interactivity, and
opportunities for creativity that we didn’t
have before.
 Audience expects participation.
 Emphasizes speed of information like
never before.
 There’s much more information out there
than ever before, which means …
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Opportunity
New media products are joining the
traditional sources/brands all the time.
 Those that do the job the best will
succeed. Those who attract an interested,
audience that returns again and again will
really succeed.
 Rapid change can be scary, but it is also
exciting.
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Questions?