Karen Schlegel

The role of the journalist is rapidly changing.  Newspapers no longer dominate the market, as instant news is now accessible via 24 hour news channels and the Internet.

The Internet in particular means that a news consumer can now access any news, any time.  This has been furthered by the ease of accessing the Internet on mobile phones, wireless Internet connections, blackberries etc.  Instant access news is also not specific to mainstream news.  The sheer number of news sites, blogs, and opinion sites means that people are open to a huge wealth of information, not always accurate.  The real challenge is providing news which is accurate and accessible.

The Internet has not only changed the pace of news reporting, but has also changed some of the legal ramifications of reporting.  Anything posted on the Internet is liable to judgement by the laws in any country in which it is viewed. This means there are new considerations for journalists regarding libel issues.

Print journalism now has to compete with the availability of Internet news and 24 hour news broadcasting on digital television.  When a reader accesses the Internet, they can go directly to the site of their interest, rather than skimming through an entire newspaper.  Many newspapers have aimed to tackle this issue by creating accessible, easy to use websites with the same stories. This means that journalists who were previously based entirely in print journalism, now must be open to preparing stories for online use, and even, on many sites, with video.

The future of journalism is very different from its past. It is extremely fast paced, and must be kept completely up to date. Journalists must now be more aware than ever of the fact that news is now itnernationally accessible, rather than being limited nationally. Most importantly, the proliferation of new media must be taken into consideration.