Sharing is Caring

As discussed previously, online platforms of news and information will forever be at the centre of heavy debate regarding their legitimacy as outlets for journalism. Facebook, Twitter and Blogger have been widely criticised by some media professionals as de-legitimising real expertise. 

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News and information can be published online through individuals blogs websites and other forums and is more often than not unmonitored and uncensored. 

Of course there can be downfalls to this extreme open forum that is the internet. At what point do we separate the real journalism from the fake journalism?

Is there such a thing as fake journalism? 

Of course there is if we are talking about people making up news and information and putting it online as if it were true, which I daresay does take place a little too often. My motto when crusin’ the news streams is triple check your info. 


But aside from fake news posts, which usually give themselves away by the holes in the stories so gaping that words slip through them off the page, on a whole the more people that are discussing and sharing online, the richer and more in-depth the online news community becomes.

Some of the first places that news stories break are now on online social media outlets. The online editor of the Courier Mail John Grey told a few weeks ago that news organisations regularly elect to use images taken by citizen journalists on hand held and personal devices that have been emailed or uploaded over the media photographers’ images. 

Quite often images taken by those who experienced the event capture the true sense of feeling present when news stories break. As the 9/11 anniversary approaches us I will refer back to it as a prime example of citizen journalism. 

Citizen photography 9/11

Online social media is increasing the volume of news sharing and evaluating, thus altering the publics relationship to news and information. Networking environments are forging a kind of creative connectivity between users who are accessing new information and resources. Networking provides more conversation and diversifies the audience, fueling ideas and information.

Hurricane Irene hit The East coast just last night, and thanks to Twitter, though the disaster was taking place so many thousand kilometres away from my home and in a completely different time zone, I was able to stay up to date with her movements and even watched a live video streaming from a building in Manhattan. 

Similarly, online feeds and blogs are creating more channels of conversation and outlets for wider viewpoints. The media’s take may be seen on TV and in the papers, but broader discussion on certain topics can be had online which in my opinion, is much more beneficial to consumers than hearing a one sided version. 

When three Channel 9 juniors were sacked after the hoax helicopter crosses, I instantly wanted to know what some of the reasons may have been. A quick shout out on Facebook to members one of my personal groups and I had links to news sites and much more information from individuals and their thoughts than I originally did. 

Social outlets enable news of events and valid viewpoints to be shared in a simple and readily accessible way. Social media provides the user with a faster and often diplomatic outlet of media production and consumption.  

Journalists and other media professionals can also learn through social media . By accessing these online networks that local and other related groups do, they can gain a greater understanding of the interests and beliefs of the interconnected communities around them.

Tools for Online Journalising.

The overwhelming digitalisation of news and information will forever find itself amidst heated discussion as to it’s legitimacy as a news source. Also heavily debated is the impact of online news on practicing print journalists and their careers. 

Social and technological changes have significantly increased the demand for intangible news, impacting on print formats. 


Online platforms like Twitter, Blogger and Facebook grow through strength in numbers every day and as engagement gains momentum, so too does the production of news and information. This is of course heavily influenced by technological advancements touched on previously. 

New technologies, though it will forever be argued for and against, have in my opinion, widened career potential for media professionals. 


The mobile phone is fast becoming the new frontier for connectivity. Traffic is expected to double every year through 2015 and the Sydney Morning Herald tweeted yesterday that the Android has overtaken the Iphone, highlighting the Android's market's rapid rise and attributing this to it’s growing app store.

The mobile phone market has flooded with journalist savvy applications which aid in the capturing, uploading and sharing of news and information.

Live video application  QIK has been deemed a must have for journalists, incorporating video recording, instant video sharing and viewing as well as live chat. 


See what QIK can do

Another handy app is Evernote. It offers to journalists a faster, multi-platform program  to  assist with the arduous task of note taking. A free service, Evernote simplifies note taking, photography and recording and can be synced with all your personal devices allowing your material to be read and viewed when you next need it. According to www.journalism.co.uk, Evernote plays host to a hefty 11 million users.

Evernote screen shot

Dianna Liebelson from the International Journalist’s Network posted a blog entry highlighting Evernote, as well as a few other revolutionary digital reporting apps for journalising. The full post can be found here.

This greater demand and supply within the online realm is significantly increasing resources and opportunities for media amateurs and professionals. 


We are all caught within this ever growing technological world. We might as well embrace it as journalists.

After all; The more we contribute, discuss, create and recreate, the greater the volume  of news and information that is put out there - thus the more we as journalists and consumers engage with the news.

Sustainability of online news

Modern news is all about interaction. An increased socialization of news and it’s platforms offers readers a diverse pool of info as well as the opportunity to contribute and share, thus encouraging discussion. It involves super-fast production and updates. News can move and update online in much faster cycles that were ever possible in print.  

Stories are short and sweet. In the case of Twitter, hundreds of single sentence updates are delivering news updates from a variety of different sources, all happening in real time as stories break. 

Though there are of course noted problems facing online media. The question of profit and where it is going to come from is constantly brought to the fore. The mentality has emerged amongst readers, perceiving the web as a free mode of news and information. How easily will online publications find keeping their audience if fees and charges are applied to these news sources?

A statement that stood out to me in John’s lecture this week offered a positive outlook to the future of online journalism. 

“Audiences will pay for delivery of information and entertainment - you already do,” he said. 

Take applications on Ipads and Android technology. There is a constant expansion of innovative programs and apps on the market, which form a starting point for larger and more comprehensive news technologies.

So what can we expect in the future for online news?

Paid content models will offer small tastes of news and programs for free but require paid subscription for the full extended version. 

I wonder if audiences will be willing to pay for the greater details on online news sites. If they are anything like the Ipad Courier Mail application, I suspect so. Only time will tell.

Will Online News Pay Off?

I recently listened to eccentric and pragmatic online editor of the Courier Mail, John Grey. The hours spent listening to guest lectures are among some of my favorite spent at university. I see every moment of interaction with working professionals and the real-world insights that stand to be gained as invaluable. 


John, more commonly known as @jg_rat in his element on Twitter, offered an interesting insight into the state of online journalism and news and what we might expect to see in the future. 

@jg_rat - as he appears on Twitter

There will be distinct changes to the online and digital media landscape over the next two years according to John. Which makes perfect sense when considering the rapid-fire speed that the net offers. It would only make sense to see changes taking place day by day. 

John’s own, The Courier Mail offers to the modern user a visual and interactive version of the news source. The Australian and the Sydney Morning Herald are just two more of Australia’s large newspapers that have expanded into the online realm. 

The Courier Mail has recently launched an Iphone and Ipad application which describes itself as providing 

“Exclusive news and features that you'll expect everyday. From stunning picture galleries, unique video right through to the big news stories as the break.”

I particularly like their slogan which to me sums up the online/news convergence phenomena. Touch the news that touches you.  


Love this little video made by the Staff at the Courier Mail exploring their own IPad app!


Me and Mum actually watched this when she first got her IPad last week to work out how to better navigate the App. (Devastated my Mum managed to get her hands on one before me.)

Cannot wait to see some more app's like this pop up as the Apple store and Android market continues to grow!

Better. Faster. Stronger...

News get's connected.

As the world develops at a dizzying pace technologically, it is a bit of a case of dog eats dog for media entities. As readership and circulation of print formats continue to suffer a steady decline, most are looking to their online counterparts to pick up the pieces and win back the readers. Or at least the clever ones are.

With the emergence of the smartphone and the tablet, readers can now carry a source of the news in their pockets and handbags. Literally everywhere they go. Not only can online enthusiasts flick through news grabs and stories, perhaps faster than one can negotiate the pages of a cumbersome newspaper, but they can also contribute. 

I want to be a good journalism student and say I prefer newspapers, but I just can’t look past the convenience and appeal of the user-friendly web. Especially when presented with the opportunity to add my two cents!

Whether it be on my Macbook or Iphone; the effortless navigation between multiple windows and links, an ability to share photos, thoughts and facts through blogger, twitter and facebook far outweighs that of a one dimensional newspaper experience. My Mum calls it nauseating but I simply can’t get enough of it!

MacBook multitasking

And there-in lies the dilemma. The evolution. 

We are experiencing a socialization of news and information thats has taken off and is expanding as more and more people enter the online world. 


The web is a multi-facetted experience. It offers heightened colour and visual content to a degree that cannot be achieved through print. Similarly absent in traditional newspapers is a users capacity to upload, watch and hear video and sound files from the most current news stories.  

Online news happens in real time. A reality in this competitive, technology saturated environment is that consumers want short and to the point. The average reader doesn’t want an analytical and in depth news story with multiple sources and a thousand words because as valuable as that is to some, the reality is they just aren’t going to lend the time to read it.

The 07’ Poynter Eye track study found that when presented with a news stimulus, the majority of subject's eyes tracked first to the the images over the Text. Photojournalist Sarah Quinn from the Poynter Institute values visual journalism as a influential news source. 

“The study is to help editors and publishers understand how deeply people are reading, ” she said.

Readers want sharp and snappy, three minute articles that can be read on the go, with sound and visual aids to help tell the story.

Online news is a social and fully interactive experience which is growing in strength and numbers daily. Of course there are potential (and apparent) downfalls of using the web as a source of news.  


A number of news sources have made the shift to the online medium in an attempt to capture the tech savvy audience. So far so good. But do the pro's outweigh the con's? My discussion of this in the coming weeks.