Journalism in an Ever-Changing Social and Digital World

Figure 1- "iPhone photography" by Ashton Emanuel is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

You’ve probably heard many people say something along the lines of “journalism is dying.” However, today is an exciting time for journalism. Journalism is merely evolving with the times. Journalists are now able to connect with audiences in a greater depth and tell stories in fresh, innovative ways. This said, today, journalists are taking a mobile and digital-first approach to storytelling, utilizing mobile devices and social media to gather news, distribute content and engage with audiences. Audiences are also inhabiting a new role in this ever-changing industry. They are constantly in a two-way conversation with journalists through social media. Audiences are active, playing a role in the gatekeeping process and ultimately influencing the type of stories that end up being covered.

Positives and negatives of user-generated content

Given this mobile and digital-first approach to storytelling, we’re also now in an age that allows nearly anyone to create and publish content. This comes with both positives and negatives. For one, with this shift, comes the presence of user-generated content. User-generated content refers to photos, videos and other content captured and shared to social media by people who are not professional journalists. This content can be beneficial in that journalists have come to rely on this user-generated content on social media, especially when it comes to covering breaking news stories. This content allows journalists to share information from a location prior to the reporter’s arrival. Such content may also be useful when a news event is occurring in a remote area that a journalist may be assigned to but cannot physically go to.

On the other hand, there are also downsides of this type of content. First off, with user-generated content journalists must be mindful of whether or not it has news value. Not all user-generated content is newsworthy. Additionally, journalists must be extra skeptical about this content. The speed at which this content is spread over social media, alongside the rise of misinformation and fake news makes fact checking that much more important now. Lastly, another downside of this content is that oftentimes an extra step is added for journalists. Journalists may need to get permission from the person who posted the content to use it. This can be inconvenient depending on the turn around for a story.

Essential skills of journalists in digital and mobile-first environment

With this shift toward mobile and social, new skills are needed for journalists. The dream hire in this journalism industry today typically has the following skills and characteristics:

• Digital skills

• Traditional reporting capabilities

• Ability to engage with their audience no matter what platform

• Ability to write for the web

• A basic understanding of SEO

• Ability to shoot and edit video

Social Media for Newsgathering, Distribution and Audience Engagement

Journalists are now expected to use mobile devices and social media for newsgathering, distribution of news and audience engagement, while also following the basics of journalistic standards.

In my experience as a journalist, I have used social media and mobile devices for newsgathering especially. Through social media and my mobile device, I’ve been able to find story ideas that outlets aren’t typically covering, find sources for stories and gather additional information for a story I’m working on, whether in the form of user-generated content or crowdsourced information.