After spending the semester examining new trends in online-based journalism, I can easily say that I see the most potential in the idea of interactivity. I love that readers now have opportunities to engage with what they’re reading; to play with it, to hear it, to see it from all angles. An article about a nation-wide issue that is accompanied by a map allows a reader to localize the issue (without the reporter having to write articles for every affected city) and find meaning in the topic. Articles accompanied by a variety of photos allow the readers to visualize the subject of the text much more than the one or two photographs selected by an editor in a print edition ever would. Videos catch the attention of those too busy to read. Comments sections give the audience a chance to participate in the news, rather than only being spectators. With interactivity, news has become something that everyone can get involved in, rather than just passively read with a morning cup of coffee.
Something I dislike about online journalism is the pressure of “instantaneous news.” While I understand and appreciate the potential for 24-hour updated news feeds, I’m wary of the toll it will take on quality. We have discussed this in several classes this semester, and I have grown progressively more intimidated by the expectations put on reporters to create stories within minutes of an event. I know that there are strategies that can keep this pressure in check—like posting quick updates while a more thorough story is developed—but I still worry about the escalating competition between online news organizations and what this will do to accuracy.
Where I will be heading with my brain packed full of online journalism is still unclear. All semester long I have been feeding my growing love of web development and the potential for web design to affect a reader’s impression of a news site. I would love to learn more, as I still feel unequipped to do anything professionally, but I certainly think that my career will not only include the writing and reporting side of journalism, but also the multimedia development and web design aspects of it too. Heck—I think all journalists will have to know more and more of this in the future, and I am pleased that I will be riding this wave as it develops, rather than following behind it.
