Welcome to the Media Alliance Future of Journalism!
It has become fashionable over the past couple of years to compare what is going on in our news industry to the revolution in information unleashed by the invention of the printing press more than 500 years ago. At first that sounds like the purest hyperbole, but when you pause to consider the upheaval in journalism as a result of the development of the Internet and digital technology, it all starts to sound less far-fetched.
Let’s start with what we do know: we know that digital technology means that journalism is on the entering an era of vast new possibilities: our stories can reach more people, faster and with a greater geographical reach than ever before. With new tools we can make our stories more compelling and vivid using video footage, slideshows, graphics and maps. We can link our audiences to background data and research to add value to the information we present.
At the same time, by harnessing social networking tools, we can involve our audiences in the issues that interest them. No longer is news a one-way “lecture”, by letting our audiences react to and share the stories, journalists can be part of an enhanced news process that adds value to the role we have traditionally performed in society.
