I've spent a lot of time as a magazine journalist in the technology space. But it may be a fading art. The American print magazine and newspaper is very much an endangered species, and may hobble into extinction.
With the meteoric rise of Internet input, a whole world of information overload is possible. It isn't that clear, objective news isn't available: hard stories from the Associated Press, Reuters and other time-tested sources are available at the click of a mouse. These follow, for the most part, traditional journalistic models for delivering news free of slant and spin, with facts checked before submission to the broad readership.
But the Internet has ushered in a new communicator: the Citizen Journalist. These new communicators, found in blogs, chat rooms and web sites, assert a voice never before imagined in the world of mass communications. The Citizen Journalists also develop devoted readerships, based on the meat of the message, the tone of the message (commonly referred to as "edge"), and possibly the effective use of search engine optimization to bring browsers their way.
It is important to understand the purpose of news-based journalism: That purpose is to present information that is free of advocacy, in a manner that is fair and objective, and comprehensive in its coverage to a targeted audience. Understanding that there are different audiences helps to understand why professional journalists reach out to the widest possible audiences, while unprofessional or non-journalistic communications reach limited audiences, frequently with special interests.
It is sometimes hard to tell in citizen journalism where the news ends and opinions begin.
Journalism is not just about expressing an opinion. It includes the ability to report news as objectively as possible, recognizing the shortcomings of reporters and humans who write about "what you know or discover." It includes the ability to write compelling feature articles that provide a broad perspective to the bigger picture, and that helps present the human side of news issues. It includes commentary designed to be useful and thought provoking to the broadest constituency of readers.
But in these days of citizen journalists, whose stock in trade is opinion, “edge,” and to some degree entertainment, there is great temptation for readers to seek out information, not for its usefulness, but for its agreeability. The reader is looking for input that he or she will agree with...sort of electronic yes-men.
The reader uses this kind of information to reinforce and bolster opinions already held, and give to them a new level of legitimacy. Useful coverage of events and developments can appear in these spaces, but sometimes only as afterthought. And blogs are also recognized as increasingly powerful promotional media for people and products alike. It is not always the single most reliable place for objective, actionable information. So, in this world of instant coffee, instant tea and instant information, serious readers have to make a choice. News that informs and enlightens, or unverified opinions that happen to encompass your worldview.
