Journalism has entered a stage of transition. This transition is part of the natural evolution much like the cassette tape to CD and radio to television.
The once start up site BuzzFeed has become one of the most fierce competitors in the digital news environment, with an innovative deliverance and a large online participatory audience, it is to be taken seriously as a news source.
“BuzzFeed is taking viral content and then overlaying it with a skin of serious news” – David Carr.
We are also seeing new alliances form between professional journalists and non-legacy companies in an attempt to break away form the mainstream. This alliance adds credibility and trust to digital news, which is an important element in journalistic reporting.
“Anytime digital media gets a little money – this is true of Huffington Post, true of VIX Media, true of BuzzFeed – what they do is they go out and hire journalists”. – David Carr
Accessibility, I believe, is the defining factor that has made the transition to digital journalism so successful. Tom Rosensteil in his TEDx talk describes how “today, news media must adapted to changes in societal behaviour… the news is now more convenient and can satisfy our curiosity whenever and wherever we want. The word ‘mobile’ is changing the way we live (Carr 2014). Our mobile phones have enabled news to become simplified, apps such as Twitter gives information to its users in easily digestible chunks of 140 characters or less. Yahoo News Digest is a sleek, highly visual app that presents the user with 10 or so algorithmically generated news stories twice a day (Newton 2014).
The paradox of choice is another element of digital journalisms success story (Carr 2014). We no longer have to listen to News Corp telling us at 6.30pm what news we should and would want to hear. The user can now ultimately define what news they want to consume. We are in charge of our own learning!
The idea that information will manifest in front of you is another thing that defines our generation (Rosensteil 2014). If you’re bored you can scroll your Twitter feed. If something takes your interest you can (usually) go to a second source. Still interested? You can comment, retweet and hashtag your thoughts. Now you have started conversation and the story is circulating the internet…It is now #trending.
It is hard to conclude on something when you are talking about its future. Journalism is a dynamic and flexible industry and as long as it can adapt to change we will not see its end as some researchers are suggesting, but an exciting yet unpredictable future.
References
Carr, D 2014, NYT’s David Carr on the Future of Journalism, Boston University, online video, 6 March, accessed via youtube 16/04/2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=WPlazqH0TdA
Newton, C 2014, Yahoo’s Sleek News Digest App Swims Against the Stream, The Verge January 7, viewed 16/04/2014, http://www.theverge.com/2014/1/7/5284300/yahoos-sleek-news-digest-app-swims-against-the-stream
Rosenstiel, T 2013, The Future of Journalism: Tom Rosenstiel at TEDxAtlanta, TEDx, online video, 28 May, accessed via youtube 15/04/2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=RuBE_dP900Y
Please see below, two compulsory comments I’ve made in reply to fellow BCM310 students posts on the Future of Journalism.
Media Musings 
A prudent observation in regards to the way accessibility has made digital media so successful. In today’s world, accessibility is key to anything surviving. There is no such thing as a ‘normal’ lifestyle anymore, the Sunday paper just doesn’t cut it for a lot of people. By making the news available on different platforms which can be accessed whenever the viewer wishes, news sources are ensuring the survival of their craft.
Your discussion of accessibility and choice is excellent. These are definitely two factors key to the debate around the future of journalism. As explored in the videos audiences that normally would not have engaged with newspaper media are now engaging with it in its online format. I know this applies to me personally, as a student with limited financial means, buying a newspaper everyday just isn’t functional so online news is extremely important to my ability to function in my degree. Generally the engagement with news in a digital environment could be seen to be important in regards to participation with politics and also the creation of informed opinions on various issues. As stated by the commenter above the combination of accessibility and choice now cater to the greater diversity of life styles that exist. There are no specific norms when it comes to news consumption anymore; everyone has a different schedule and so a different pattern of news consumption that is now being matched by the digital environment.
I like your reference to technologies like the cassette tape as a way to explain the evolution of journalism in todays society and I completely agree with you and think your focus and explanation of accessibility as the key to a success in journalism is spot on. When I lived at home with my parents I used to read the paper when they would buy it, but now as a student I don’t feel like making the effort or spending the money when I can simply bookmark or subscribe to my favourite news sources, as well as filtering through the subjects and headlines that interest me. This adaption to new technologies is the heart of journalism today.