Solutions for Journalists: Go to ‘the Basic’

With the current technology, there are so many media where you could write/produce journalism.

Now you could produce journalism in almost every shape:

image source: TechCrunch

• the short straight-to-the-point Twitter,
• mass audience shareable Facebook,
• picture-oriented Instagram,
• current youth-oriented-audience Snapchat
• to the newest medium of story-telling Virtual Reality.

Each of these media has their own characteristics, whether it is their lengths, their form, their audiences, or their appeals.

In order to produce the most suitable journalism for every medium, journalists cannot use ‘what usually works’, but journalists have to understand ‘what makes a strong story’ in the first place.

Journalists cannot rely on what usually works in the print, radio, or television. Instead, they should think creatively in utilising these new platforms to suit the audiences’ interests and preferences.

For example, a lifestyle journalist must understand their target audiences which are mainly youths and teenagers. As they spend most of their time on social media, it would be such a waste if journalists focused on writing for print only while there are opportunities in producing a piece on other platforms.

Take Yusuf Omar for example, a journalist at the Hindustan Times in India who is building the world’s largest in-house mobile journalism team. He thinks people can write more relatable stories with snapchat now.

So, journalists have to go back to the ‘basic’ and at the bottom of all journalism is its stories.

By understanding what makes a strong story, a journalist will have a foundation and know what the fundamentals are in making news newsworthy and to work creatively on other aspects.

image source: Tenor

featured image source: spajournalism.com

Are Journalists Getting More or Less Ethical?

In the video above, John Oliver talked about the condition of current and future journalism.

With the news consumption shifts to free, internet-based and 24/7 cycle news, the news corporations are like sinking boats.

image source: meme generator

How could it not, with its revenue slowly (but accelerating) going down and more and more journalists got laid off?

image source: pew research center

image source: pew research center

Just like John has said in the video, news corporations are now shifting to online content, click-bait headlines while thinking twice to write investigative piece.

But in this era where it is easy and free to get information/news, are journalists being more or less ethical?

LESS, it’s all just about click counts and money

In the video, John illustrated how click counts are being more and more prioritised.

image source: PakPassion.net

The illustration took us to a situation where an editor has to choose to either report about a corruption case in the Boston city hall or a debate on a cat which looks like a racoon or vice versa.

Obviously, for the purpose of humour the editor chose the Ra-Cat (Racoon Cat) piece. But what if the news corporations actually changed into that kind of corporations? Can we actually trust them to report about stuff that matter?

OR

MORE, they can’t lie to us now

Verifying anything on the news comes very easily now with the internet and social media.

image source: IJNet

You can almost find any information confirming or contradicting the news. And now with the citizen journalists posting on blogs and social media, anything suspicious will come to people’s attention.

Therefore, why worry about the journalists’ ethics and ideals? Anyone with poor ethics and low ideals will be eliminated automatically.

 

So, do you think journalists are getting more or less ethical? Comment your answer below 🙂

featured image source: GamesNosh

3 Must-Have Skills for Graduate Journalists

With the new media and all the technology development, how the public reads the news through their smartphones, tablets and PCs.

“Today, the news media has to adapt what they do to fit our behavior, because we no longer have to fit our behavior to their cycle,” said Tom Rosenstiel in his Ted Talk.

One way to adapt is by changing the criteria of its recruits.

Here are 3 must-have skills for graduate journalists:

1. Multi-skilled Journalists

In reporting a story today, journalists not only have to think about writing a story for a platform they are in charge of, but also for other platforms.

For example, recording a video for television, which has clear sound bites for radio, and pictures for print, website and social media.

Journalists have to be able to write, record, take photos and edit stories on their own.

2. The ability to tailor stories for any platforms

People now read news from a lot of platforms, through the newspaper, radio, television, website and especially social media.

Therefore, news organisations need journalists who can tailor stories for various platforms and their audiences.

For example, older people tend to read news from newspaper or television while younger ones tend to read from the internet.

image source: pinterest

3. Thorough research skill

In this era, with all the citizen journalists writing and posting their writing in the internet, people are getting more and more cautious with their news consumption.

That is why journalists now have to present accurate facts in order to gain the trust and credibility from people.

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