Online Journalism
Online Journalism
Welcome to Web 2.0
Web 2.0
The term is subject to “hype” and remains in debate and in flux
Web 2.0
Content power shift to the masses rather than the “mass media”
Mass media is “de-massed” It’s all about YOU
Web 2.0 & Journalism
Architecture of participationUser-generated content
Blogs Wikis
“Crowdsourcing”Social networking sites
User-Generated Content
These sites build content from the submission of users, rather than staff editors or writers “Blogs”/Personal Journals Photos Podcasts Video sharing (“Vlogs”) Reviews/Advice Forums
Photobucket vs. Kodakgallery
Beyond the Computer
Web serves as a platform for other technologies to interoperate withMobile devicesHome entertainment devicesAppliances
Online Publishing Tools
Publishing information online has become easier due to several self-publishing tools and content management systems
Example: Blogs
Popular Blog Tools Blogger.com LiveJournal WordPress
Blog Popularity
A new blog is started every second Many remain unread and semi-
anonymous A few end up with a strong following Most are not created by journalists!
Who is Blogging?
Bloggers are youngMore than half (54%) of bloggers are under the
age of 30. 55% of bloggers blog under a pseudonym,
and 46% blog under their own name.
SOURCE: PEW INSTITUTE 2006 SURVEY
Is it Journalism? Most bloggers do not think of what they do
as journalism. 34% of bloggers consider their blog a form
of journalism, and 65% of bloggers do not.
SOURCE: PEW INSTITUTE 2006 SURVEY
Is It Journalism?
Most have not “trained” to be journalists57% of bloggers include links to original
sources either “sometimes” or “often.” 56% of bloggers spend extra time trying to
verify facts they want to include in a post either “sometimes” or “often.”
SOURCE: PEW INSTITUTE 2006 SURVEY
Beyond Text
Bloggers are using more than simple words to tell their stories 72% Photos 30% Audio 15% Video
SOURCE: PEW INSTITUTE 2006 SURVEY
“Moblogging”
Mobile phone blogging Instant “on location” blogging via one’s mobile
phone Photo share publishing “on the go” Uses camera phones to see what the
publisher sees instantly
“Moblogging”
Mobile phone blogging Instant “on location”
blogging via one’s mobile phone
Photo share publishing “on the go”
Uses camera phones to see what the publisher sees instantly
Moblogs and Breaking News
U.S. east coast blackout London subway terrorist
bombing Mumbai terrorist attacks
User-controlled News
Internet users like to have some control over the media they consume Personalized news Peer-recommended news “Open-source” news
Personalized News
Google News No editors are
employed Uses traffic analysis
and readership patterns to determine what is most newsworthy
Peer-recommended News
Digg.com Readers “vote” on
what they like Highest votes =
highest news placement on site
“Open-Source” News
OhMyNews Huge in South Korea Expanded to
international audience 41,000 “citizen
reporters” 20% of content created
in-house by only 55 staff reporters
“Open-Source” News
WikiNews User-created news
reports Collaborative editing
by peers A Russian-language
version is now available
Mainstream News Dominates
Independent news is thriving, but mainstream news still dominates online Top global news sites:
1. Yahoo! News 2. CNN 3. BBC News 4. The New York Times 5. Google News
SOURCE: 12/2008 ALEXA REPORT
Mainstream News Blogs
Mainstream news outlets are adapting their own blogs The New York Times The Washington Post CBS News MSNBC
The Aggregators
News site aggregators have proven to be very popular…and influential
They do not write news, but they do create headlines and selectively choose which stories get coverage
The Aggregators
Drudge Report Conservative in nature Monica Lewinsky/Bill
Clinton Scandal
Huffington Post Liberal response to
Drudge Report
The Aggregators
Beyond news, there are several popular aggregate blog sites for specific areas of interest
Examples: Technorati.com BoingBoing.net
“Crowdsourcing”
“Crowdsourcing” is a new trend in online journalism that has many supporters and skeptics
What is “Crowdsourcing?”
A collaborative form of reporting Each contributor researches and contributes a
component to the overall piece The actual story may or may not be written by a
collaborator Content is usually overseen by a centralized
editor
“Pro-Am” Journalism
Crowdsourcing is often referred to as “pro-am journalism”A combination of both professional and
amateur contributions
Examples of “Crowdsourcing”
In Journalism:Wired.com and NYU: AssignmentZero.comMinnesota Public Radio: Public Insight
Journalism
Gannett Restructuring
Major media company Gannett restructured most of its print and Web operations to include “crowdsourcing” in Nov. 2006“Information Centers”Gannett is the largest newspaper publisher in
the U.S. (by circulation)
Pros
Community involvement Transparency of reporting process Micro-reporting of events and developments
normally missed by mainstream media “Hyper-local” reporting
Builds valuable “database” of content Tomorrow’s “reporters” may also be “database
managers”
Cons
“Amateur” reporting has its risks Majority rules
Stories only developed because users ask for it (or participate in it)
Subject to manipulationPolitical or personal agendas might inspire
disproportionate coverage of particular issues Staff reporters might lose some value
“Assignment Zero”
Launched March 2007 Users “log in” to find potential news story
assignments that they can contribute toSuggest questions for the reporter to askConduct research/interviews for the story In some cases, you can actually write the full
story