William Regets

Mrs. Drumm

English 111

November 18, 2013,

Technologies effect on Journalism

The days in which readers get their information solely from old journalists that write in your daily black and white newspaper are dead! The mornings where you put on your robe, have your cup of coffee in your hand, and walk out to the curb and pickup the morning press is on life support. Make way for the future, or the present, whichever way you look at it. Blogs are the new age. Blogs are whats hip whats cool, whats popular. Blogs are what the cute girl in the coffee shop who your to scared to talk to is on. Blogs are where people go to first instead of CNN to get their news. And not just the daily news but more importantly up to the minute news. Hourly news. You dont have to wait until morning to get that dinosaur of a newspaper to see whats going on in the Middle East. You dont have to wait to check out the sports scores, or which celebrity is going to rehab for the 8th time. Technology has made accessing information easier than ever. By the click of a mouse or by a tap on your cell phone you can have up to the minute news when its convenient for you. Whenever its convenient for you, you are able to see what is going on in Washington, or what your friends are doing on social media. Technology

has made it easier to get information and it has also hurt a lot of companies at the same time. Dont think for a second that there are not consequences for these liberties bestowed upon us. Everything is not all rose petals and we certainly arent living in LALA land. The realities are very scary for the professionals in the journalism and printing businesses. They are fighting a losing battle to keep their livelihoods afloat, its sink or swim time for them, either adjust and progress into the next chapter of journalism or drown like every other old journalist who was to ignorant to change their ways. Journalism in magazines and newspapers has become too stuffy and dry over the years. It hasnt evolved enough over time to attract a younger broader audience. All the newspapers looked the same-same format, same fonts, same columns complaining about the local daily, same sex advice, same five thousand word hole for the cover story. Pg(401)When journalists are writing their pieces for their respected employer they have deadlines, and expectations brought on by the bosses. Journalists are expected to write interesting pieces in order for people to keep reading their work. Day by day week-by-week this is their job. They are not allowed to speak their minds to the fullest extent. Why, because they are representing a business and everything you say represents your employer. You say something that may not be politically correct or in line with what everyone else is saying there is a chance that you can be fired or punished. So why even run the risk? Enter bloggers. Bloggers do not have impossible deadlines to satisfy. They dont have to rush out sub-par work in order to appease their boss. They are their own boss. Themselves make the rules, there is no one telling them what they have to write about, or what

should or shouldnt be said. Bloggers work at your own pace. That is the beauty of blogging. We are all humans and we all have our own thoughts and ideas that dont conform to societies rules for being politically correct. On the Internet you are allowed to cuss and you are allowed to express how you are really feeling at that time. Bloggers get to go off half-cocked, trust their instincts and change their minds later if therere wrong. (Pg. 409) Writers have to love this style of writing right? If you write something for a newspaper or a magazine, once its printed, its is out there for the world to see, you cant take it back. With your own blog you can go back and edit it, and make changes. By trusting your instincts and writing what you feel it comes off as more natural to your readers and therefore more heartfelt. Isnt that what journalism and writing should be all about? Online Youve got tens of thousands of potential columnists writing for free, fueled by passion, operating in a free market where the cream rises quickly. Pg. (406) Every article and headline shouldnt be the same. I want personality in the pieces I read. I want to know that the piece I am reading, by the writer who is writing it is inspired by his work and enjoys his job. With technology being at the forefront in everyones homes and pockets I can pick and choose who and what I want to read. If Im on vacation in another country, I am capable of picking up my phone and looking up an article written by my favorite writer. No matter where you are you have all of this at your disposal. People are no longer tied to just one newspaper. We are living in an age where we are flooded by information. And everyone is allowed to have a blog, and express his or her opinion.

You dont have to have a degree in order to log on the Internet and voice your concerns or deepest thoughts. On May 2, 2011 when Seal Team 6th raided Osama Bin Ladens compound in Abbottabad Pakistan the first person to break the news was Sohaib Athar, who sent out a series of tweets talking about helicopters flying in over the compound, windows rattling hard, gun fire, and he even heard the helicopter crash. This wasnt a big news network that broke this story. This was an everyday person just like yourself tweeting about what he saw and thats it. Little did he know he broke the biggest story of the year. This is one example of how technology is changing the news and journalism communities. Everybody is a blogger now. Everyone has their opinions and want to express them. And for the first time in history, given the average Jane the ability to write, edit, design, and publish her own editorial product. (Pg.402) Over a billion people have some sort of social media account. Whether its Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, or the countless other. So in essence that makes everyone a micro blogger. Social Media has made it easy for people to speak their minds. Facebook is great for expressing opinions, Its easy for your friends to engage in that form of communication with you. People dont need to pick up the phone and call you anymore. You dont have to be personable anymore. You choose when you want to reply and whom you reply to. There is no doubt that social media has fundamentally changed the way we communicate with one another. With Instagram a person in the war torn area of Syria can post a gruesome or disturbing picture, and someone across the world can literally see that just a few seconds later. And that may end up starting a movement or at the very least give

them some perspective in their lives. We are living in a global world today. It is so easy to communicate with someone across the world. Before it would take days, weeks, or months, now it only takes a few seconds. Media has changed so much over the years its scary to think about where we will be in 5 years or even 20 years from now. There was once a time where DC was in many ways an amiable place. The political parties had enormous power and old bulls ran the congress with an Iron hand. To get along you go along. (Pg. 399) The press for the most part avoided scandal. Everyone in Kennedys press corps knew about the presidents affairs, but would not think of writing about them. (Pg. 399) Times are so different from that time period its scary. If that happened in todays world everyone would know about it the second after someone found out. Its hard to keep secrets in todays world. The new emotional media are the friends of the ideological purists, not the go-along and get-along types. (Pg. 399) If you tell someone something it could end up on twitter the next minute. Technology has made it easy to communicate with a mass amount of people within seconds. Walter Cronkite was once upon the time the most trusted man in America. That was back when Americans trusted the government and believed in the American dream. In the modern world, with all this communication at our fingertips, we can catch liars and cheaters. We are now living in the Technology era. With all this advancement we are sure to have some setbacks right? The newspaper is slowly dying. There have been so many newspapers go out of business simply because they dont have the readers. No one is purchasing a bulky newspaper when its so easy to

go online and get your news. A few years ago they stopped printing the box scores of baseball games in newspapers across the country. A tradition that has been going on for many years. Fathers would go out get the newspaper and the first thing they would do is turn to the sports section to check out who won and who didnt. To find out if their favorite player did anything notable. Why did they do this? Because Its so easy to turn on the TV or look online to check who won the ball game, or who hit a Home run. Sure there are some that have survived, but for how long? How long will they last in this fast paced world? The biggest newspaper in the world the The New York Times has even had to have evolve. They are now more of a hybrid newspaper. On the Internet and the newspaper. They are scrambling to find ways to generate revenue in order to stay afloat and relevant. Think of all of the job losses. This resonates further than what you might think. With all of these newspapers shutting down almost at what seems like every other day there are many people affected by this. First the writers themselves, Then you have the Editors. Next you have the people who work in the factory, physically creating this newspaper or magazine for you. And not to mention all the lowly assistants, and janitors, of these buildings where they are employed. That is a ton of families. You think thats a lot of people to lay off but think about if all of them have families to feed. They may not be so excited for what the future holds, unlike the rest of us. The fact remains that technology isnt going anywhere. Its here for good. Welch sums it up best for me. He says Bloggers are basically oblivious to such traditions, so reading the best of them is like receiving a bracing slap in the face.

Its a reminder that America is far more diverse and iconoclastic than its newsrooms. (Pg.404) This is true. America is so diverse and different than it was forty years ago. People are so much more outspoken and opinionated in todays society. Technology has had such a big impact on Journalism and news media today, and it will never ever be the same as what it once was. Social media and blogs have fostered public involvement in politics and enhanced political dialogue. (Pg.408) The difference between blogs and professional media companies are that We are edited: were not opinion as much as we are analysis, and we dont report rumors. (Pg.412) That is in fact what TV news stations due have going for it. Because it is just more natural to trust CNN or FOX news rather than the blog or Twitter feed you read. They are bigger and probably have many more sources at their disposal. Blogs and Social media are most definitely not going anywhere. They are here to stay forever. What will be interesting is whether or not Magazines and newspapers will be able to compete. As it looks now though is that Blogs and Social media are competing with TV news channels like CNN. Newspapers and magazines are in the rear view mirror.