In a world in which news travels fast and breaking news stories are reported almost in real-time, let’s take a look at the ways journalism has changed since the advent of digital technology.
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There is no denying that most people access news online, whether on a phone, tablet, or laptop. When journalists write their news articles, they go to ‘print’ – as in the news is uploaded to the web – instantly. Gone are the days of waiting days or weeks to see the article printed on paper.
Digitally accessed news, magazines, and publications are becoming more and more popular than their printed counterparts. Indeed, the Press Gazette reports that more than half of both UK and US residents prefer to read news online.
Who writes the news?
In the past, journalists were the only people with the tools and audience to break the news; today, almost anyone can report information by heading straight to social media outlets such as Facebook or self-publishing on a blog or website of their own.
Similarly, we have seen an increase in the number of people freelancing as journalists. This is in many ways a great thing, as it opens up opportunities for more people with an interest in writing. For freelancers, an NCTJ diploma can be a great way to gain the skills and knowledge needed for the fast-paced journalism industry. More information is available from journalism schools such as News Associates.
Multimedia news
The digital age has also changed the way in which news is presented. While traditional column-style text-only newspaper articles still exist, we increasingly find ourselves reading news packed with interesting pictures, polls, videos, and even interactive graphics. This sort of content is easily consumed and digestible, not to mention interesting.
Wide-scale news
Local journalism is not as big as it once was, with numerous local newspapers closing over recent years; however, there are efforts to bring this back, as our local news is arguably the most important to people in our communities.