How the Internet Has Changed Journalism

Jonathon Venitz

6/29/11

Persuasive Writing, Clark

Journalism and the Internet

The Internet has changed the way we view journalism. News can be reported and published faster than previous methods and people can now access the news through multiple types of media anywhere and everywhere.

A few examples of the various ways we can get news now include Facebook and Twitter feeds, email alerts, news websites such as CNN and MSNBC, and internet blogs. The advent of blogs in particular has changed what journalism means. While before, the two main news sources were newspapers and TV, now with the advent of the internet, anyone can say anything they want through blogs and other websites, making the professionalism of journalism disappear.

Another example of how the Internet affects journalism is how quick and accessible the news is now. Instead of waiting for the paper to be published each day, we can get alerts through our phones and emails, giving us the latest breaking news updates as they happen in real time. Witnesses of events can now update their Twitter pages as they happen, such as a man who kept a Twitter page documenting the entire capture of Osama Bin Laden as he watched from across the street.

Websites now allow us to get what we want to know about our news fast and easily, without having to skim through a whole paper, or sit through a TV broadcast. We can skip over what we don’t want to read, and simply get the most important facts. This has created a more fast-paced society.

The internet allows us to be more aware of the world around us. It has changed how we receive our news, whether it be for better or for worse.