“I really need you to read this article, okay?”

Technology seems to rule the world in 2012. Computers, cell phones, tablets, televisions, ipods and for some even the kitchen fridge can give a link to the internet. The internet which can provide access to anything. Instantly. If all our eyes are online who is there to look at the print newspaper, the so called home of real journalism.

The fact is journalism has to and is making the shift to a new home, a big mansion on a main street that no one can miss. Journalism is moving online. What exactly that means to the definition of journalism is something Joel Achenbach discusses in “ I really need you to read this article, okay?”

Is journalism about giving people what they want to see?

Achenbach debates titling future blog entries with flashy headlines like “Britney’s Dog Menaced by Sharks.” That would certainly attract attention. As a journalist though it has to be about creating the right attention. While people might flick through to an article titled above the content is unlikely to be of great substance. It is the job of the journalist to take any subject, and find the right spin. The way they write has to adapt to the online medium. The value of print content can still be the same online if it is done correctly. Without a deep history in online journalism this format will be trial and error.



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