Community media and publishing user-generated content There is a long tradition of UGC being published in community newspapers. Community media are often forgotten when researchers examine how newspapers have transitioned to digital products (Lewis, Kaufhold, & Lasorsa, 2010). Community newspapers differ from other types of media by striving to be closer to the public ( Harry, 2001; Lauterer, 2006; Reader, 2012). It is important, however, to define community newspapers. As mentioned earlier for purposes of this dissertation, community media represent publications with a circulation of less 50,000 in print (Lauterer, 2006). It does not matter if circulation is paid or unpaid, nor does the frequency of publication matter as long as the publication …show more content…
Even with letters to the editor, asking the audience to participate resulted in more letters and more interest in the discourse (Byerly, 1961). Letters to the editor can be one of the more popular elements of community papers (Byerly, 1961), so it makes sense to attempt to allow additional discourse with the community in an online setting. Editors who support using UGC believe media companies understand it will reduce their gate-keeping ability, and those opposed believe protecting traditional newsgathering and reporting methods remain important (Lewis, Kaufhold, & Lasorsa, …show more content…
, 2010). A simple web search shows numerous news sites that actively seek either photography or video from the audience. In fact, the majority of UGC in terms of photography is classified as hard news (Nilsson & Wadbring, 2015). This points toward professional media outlets taking advantage of the fact that professional photographers cannot always in the location where breaking news occurs, while citizens because of cell phone technology have the access and ability to take publishable photos on the site of any situation (Harrison, 2010; Nilsson & Wadbring, 2015). Professional journalists complain about the quality of UGC photos, and consider them to be a professional threat (Mortensen, 2014). These complaints continue despite citizen photographers and professional photographers having similar values in terms of technical requirements that represent quality photographs (Mortensen, 2014). The perceived threat seems to relate to the fact that a number of professional organizations have laid off photographers to rely on UGC, paid or unpaid, contract photographers, or requiring reporters to take photographs (Mortensen, 2014). Regardless of the type of UGC story or photograph, the goal of journalists seems to be to use UGC as a manner of generating a conversation with the audience (Singer & Ashman, 2009). Despite increased UGC
Bonila, Denise M., and Levy, Beth, Eds. The Power of the Press. H. W. Wilson, 1999.
Theses and Professional Projects from the College of Journalism and Mass Communications. Paper 2. http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/journalismdiss/2
In today's world, photographs are the most form of media to deliver news and messages. They depict the mere fact, but are censored to hide violence. Such an act conceals the reality of life and is unfair. Graphic images must always be exposed to the public as they present the blatant reality and educate people about world crisis.
Newton, Julianne H. The Burden of Visual Truth: The Role of Photojournalism in Mediating Reality. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2001. Print.
This article focuses on research that reveals the de-professionalization and democratization of traditional journalism. The article explores the consequences of both the relation between traditional journalism and citizen journalism. The author argues that the emergence of citizen journalism is a consequence of the current factors effecting the changes in traditional journalism. The lines between professional journalism content and amateur journalism content have become blurred. The author explains how these factors have shown to affect the field of journalism in areas of employment, media technologies, shifting patterns of media use, and media consumption.
Thirty years ago, if I told you that the primary means of communicating and disseminating information would be a series of interconnected computer networks you would of thought I was watching Star Trek or reading a science fiction novel. In 2010, the future of mass media is upon us today; the Internet. The Internet is and will only grow in the future as the primary means of delivering news, information and entertainment to the vast majority of Americans. Mass media as we know it today will take new shape and form in the next few years with the convergence and migration of three legacy mediums (Television, Radio, Newspaper) into one that is based on the Internet and will replace these mediums forever changing the face of journalism, media and politics. In this paper I will attempt to explain the transition of print media to one of the internet, how the shift to an internet based media environment will impact journalism and mass media, and how this migration will benefit society and forever change the dynamic of news and politics.
An argument can be made that Journalism is one of the very few professions in the world of media that is handled with some sort of dignity and pride. After reading “The Elements of Journalism” by Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel, I realized how important journalism is to each and every one of us. Whether you’re a writer or a reader, the back and forth exchange between provider and consumer is extremely important in pushing society forward. Journalism after all is designed to challenge society, promote new ideas and spark conversation between one another. Despite the positives of journalism, there are issues that exist within the profession that cannot be excused and cannot be ignored.
New technology has developed rapidly since the birth of the internet, and it continues to expand and evolve affecting many domains, especially the print media. This essay will investigate the influence and impact of current technology of the electronic media and World Wide Web on print media, and how future developments in technology will affect the future direction of the traditional newspaper. The way in which “Bloggers” have influenced traditional journalism will also be explored and how this has affected the journalism profession. In addition, the negative impacts of how the electronic media is being used as a political forum will also be investigated. Finally, the author will predict the consequences of future developments in this rapidly growing industry and the implications this may have on the direction of print media.
When Zana Briski traveled to Calcutta’s impoverished red light district in 1997, she did not expect her documentary capturing the lives of eight marginalized children would arouse the consciousness of millions of people around the world. By displaying the poverty and grime of the brothel while publicizing children’s artwork and their lofty dreams to become educated, the documentary “Born into Brothels” succeed in raising awareness and attracting financial support worldwide to provide these children with reachable quality education. In other words, it is the film as well as the discussions related to it on various media platforms that brought about life-changing opportunities for those eight children, which evidently unfolds the transformative power of media.
Paul Grabowicz. "The Transition to Digital Journalism." Print and Broadcast News and the Internet. N.p., 30 Mar. 2014. Web. 27 May 2014.
Mainstream media such as television, radio, newspapers were the primary source of reliable information before the epoch of the internet. However, the situation has changed. The evolution of modern technology in the world today has led to the continuous increase in the methods of practicing journalism. Social and technological advancements have not only improved the pace and content of this field’s practice, but has extended its genre to online or cybernetic journalism. (Project for Excellence in Journalism, 2007). News websites most of which are owned by major media companies and alternative websites with user generated content such as social networking sites and blogs are gaining grounds in the journalism field of practice. (Nel, n.d). One of the chief forces affecting the practice of journalism nowadays is online citizen journalists. Nel (n.d) defines citizen journalism as “individuals playing an active role in the process of collecting, reporting, analysing and disseminating news and information”. He further adds that “citizen journalism is slowly being looked upon as a form of rightful democratic ways of giving hones news, articles, etc, directly by citizens of the world from anywhere.” One of the major researches conducted in the field of citizen journalism, describes the phenomenon as “individuals who intend to publish information online, meant to benefit a community”, and this information is expected to benefit the audience or the wider population in making decisions for the improvement of their community. (Carpenter, 2010.)
Newspapers have allowed for such a freedom in our everyday lives, and most have not even realized this fact. They have provided us with an outlet to speak our mind about politics, societal issues, public differences, and religion and cultures. Searching online to find such knowledge can be extremely challenging; moreover, newspapers always seem to be a place to find valid information. Newspapers have started to come off the printer more slowly over the past decade. More people are turning to electronic ways to find information rather than going to the direct source where that electronic media got their information. Most reliable information comes from newspapers where high up and educated citizens or leaders speak their mind on certain and important topics. The reason newspapers should stay a part of today’s society is because they offer a way for people to speak freely about what they please and get their voice heard, they are always credible, and they help us hear the problems of the world openly from different perspectives.
The Role of Media in the Society Media has always played a huge role in our society. For a long time media is one of the methods of controlling people and leisure. In In ancient times when there was no newspapers and television, people used literature as a source of information, some books like "the Iliad", and different stories about great kings, shows those people the information about them, and how they are used. Nowadays, media is one of the main parts of our lives and our society, because we use word media, to combine all. sources of information to be used.
It’s a question that keeps floating around in the public sphere: is print advertising and newspapers dead? The world is becoming more and more fast-paced and although, our want and need for the up-to-date news and breaking stories has not changed, the way in which we consume it has. This background report investigates and explains the downfall of the newspaper and the technological shift to online news. It will also discuss differing opinions of this relevant topic of the future of journalism from a range of reliable primary sources and investigative data.
Consequently, today’s audience is considered non-captive and far more empowered. This comes with challenges as well opportunities for journalists. Part of the challenge is that those who stick to a specialty area like radio or television, risk broadcasting themselves out of relevance. So, “rather than undermining the traditional narrative, the Internet is an opportunity to experiment with multi-dimensional storytelling and new narrative approaches that provide context and depth and also are more compelling and engaging.” (Grabowicz 2014) This requires the ability to reach the audience using more than one platform.