Concluding Thoughts

Out of Print: Newspapers, Journalism and the Business of News in the Digital Age by George Brock provides a convincing argument and insight into the future of journalism. Brock justly argues that as journalism learns to tailor content to niche audiences and employ social networking sites, it will prevail. Yet, journalism, by definition, tries to convey truthful and timely information that matters to a society. With the abundance of information that is also increasingly complex, journalists will remain at a reporting disadvantage. Although the future of the industry remains unclear, journalism has evolved with each new technological advancement. As impressive as the Internet is, George Brock provides a compelling analysis of the importance of journalism and the necessity to remained informed, as individuals and as a nation.

To see George Brock discuss his book and more about the future of journalism, check out this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lPZ16ukCj4

Abundance of Information

The Internet has exponentially increased the complexity and abundance of information available. Data mining sites ensure that no information is lost in cyberspace, furthering this notion. Almost every communication medium has expanded the range of information, but the web developed a truly unprecedented scale. “One third of the world’s 6 billion population is connected to the Internet. One inhabitant in every seven on the planet is on Facebook. Hundreds of millions of blogs are live. And an hour of video footage is uploaded to YouTube every second” (108). While Brock does effectively argue journalism has a future in the digital age, it may not be as promising as he predicts. The scale of information alone constitutes much more data and happenings than journalists have ever encountered before. News reporting outlets likely don’t have the manpower to cover every event effectively and holistically, so many events will go unnoticed. The growth of the Internet is not remotely matched by the speed of reporting so journalists will remain at an inherent disadvantage in today’s digital age. As forcefully as Brock argues that there are ways for journalism to adapt and survive, this may only be possible in the short-term. The inevitable disadvantage that journalism faces in attempting to report all of the information available poses the risk of becoming a dying industry and profession.

Niche Markets Increase Readership

Brock also effectively argues that despite the decline in newspaper sales, journalism will remain viable if it can adapt to increasing fragmentation. In the second half of the 20^th century, people “made appointments with news media: a nightly habit of watching the main television news” (Brock 87). Whenever a family or individual did this, there was a sense that thousands of others were watching the same broadcast. However, the Internet has eroded these patterns of consumption by enabling news to be available whenever and wherever. DVR and cell phones have allowed for on-the-go consumption of news as people don’t necessarily have the time to dedicate to nightly news watching. Instead, mass communication is increasingly tailored to specific segments and demographics. These virtual communities are usually brought together by a mutual interest (van Dijk 167). If a user is looking to find out more about a specific TV program, line of clothing or international event, there is a separate outlet for each interest. Journalists, Brock confirms, can no longer tailor their writing and reporting to appeal to a mass audience. Fragmenting readers means readers will only utilize and return to outlets that pertain to their personal interests. For journalism to thrive in this digital age, journalists may choose to focus on a specific niche to effectively appeal to a certain virtual community. In this way, readership among those interested will increase rather than attempting to appeal to every online reader. As journalists learn to adapt to these developing consumption patterns, readership and engagement within niche markets will increase.

Works Cited:

van Dijk, Jan A.G.M. "Social Structure." The Network Society. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications Ltd., 2006. 156-189. Print.

The Power of Social Networking Sites

In order for any blog post, newspaper article or TV broadcast to be credible, it needs to be honest and trustworthy. Once any outlet violates the trust of its audience, readership will exponentially decline. Two of Brock’s four core tasks of journalism speak to this crucial credibility. Journalists need to verify or eliminate “doubt about what has happened especially about things that are, or are likely to be disputed,” and they need a witness, which increasingly is “best captured, with whatever technology is available, by an experienced eye-witness” (202). Twitter and YouTube have both developed into social networking sites used for this purpose. Millions turn to the sites for first-hand accounts of an event and it is up to the journalist to verify the content. One of the most prominent examples of citizens and subsequently journalists expertly using social networking sites was in the Tunisian and Egyptian revolutions. Khaled Said was subjected to a horrifying public beating from Egyptian police. “Police claimed he had choked to death on illegal drugs but outraged Egyptians posted contrary evidence on Facebook pages and YouTube” (Coll 1). There is no way to deny the blatant beating of a citizen, particularly when it is caught on camera. Although police officials attempted to skew the narrative, the video is inherently truthful in its portrayal. Journalists around the world immediately reported on the beating within the context of the revolution and pointed to it as another instance of government abuse. Journalism will remain viable in a digital age where videos, from sites like YouTube, are increasingly engaging and emotional. There is no debating first-hand documentation so as Brock noted, as long as journalists can effectively utilize social networking sites in reporting, a renewed trust and engagement will be instilled in its readers.

Works Cited:

Coll, Steve. "The Internet: For Better or Worse." New York Review of Books 7 April 2011: 1-11. Print.

Introduction

The advent of the Internet has fundamentally transformed news reporting practices and what is even considered news. With websites attracting millions of viewers each day, newspapers have begun to experience the impact as well. Yet, in Out of Print: Newspapers, Journalism and the Business of News in the Digital Age by George Brock, Brock contends that journalism can survive in today’s digital age by reinventing itself. Journalism must take the best practices of the past and integrate them into the digital communications of the future. As he explores the past, present and future of journalism, Brock explains that journalism has reinvented itself throughout history and will continue to do so. By looking at the definition of journalism itself, the future of news reporting may be as promising as Brock argues. Brock defines journalism as “the systematic, independent attempt to establish the truth of events and issues that matter to a society in a timely way” (8). There is undoubtedly more independence in reporting, as million of niche websites and blogs are created everyday, each with different opinions and styles. Reporting is also more timely as first-hand accounts and live video are increasingly possible due to websites such as Twitter and YouTube. George Brock thus provides a strong argument that journalism will remain viable in today’s digital age as it begins to utilize social networking sites for credible reporting and tailors content to niche audiences.