This question ties in
with the first blog post where we entered into the question of how the problem
of financing print media will be resolved in the future. In contrast to the subject of “print
media”, we need to distinguish the
term “traditional journalism” first. Journalism can be defined as “the press”
in general or the activity and function of journalists.
Therefore, it is
necessary to differentiate between the
“traditional journalism”, implicating the traditional media i.e. print media
including newspapers and magazines and the core function of journalists. The
later hasn`t changed very much over the years, although the technical circumstances
have drastically improved.
According to
Wahl-Jorgensen and Hanitzsch, “we come to understand and construct ourselves as
subjects within local, national and global contexts through the rituals of
consuming and discussing the texts of journalism.” They continue: “In
particular, journalism is seen as intrinsically tied to democracy” (Wahl-Jorgensen and Hanitzsch, page 3).
I would therefore put
serious and investigative journalism on a level with “traditional” journalism.
The question that arises is, how to call the editors of sites like Buzzfeed,
that use sensationalism shock to increase clicks. I call them simply
content- or click-generators versus editors
with stamina. This kind of media has nothing to do with the function of
journalism in a democracy as fourth estate.
In this context I
agree with Will Oremus, who sees facebook`s new Instant Articles feature as a chance
for (traditional, serious) publishers, who hopefully retain control over their
content, using the popularity of social media. In conclusion I would argue,
that traditional journalism combined with modern digital media can survive,
because of its important role as a controlling force in a democracy, if it is
able to retain its independence.
Sources:
Wahl-Jorgensen, Karin, and
Thomas Hanitzsch, eds. The Handbook of Journalism Studies. International
Communication Association (ICA) Handbook Series. New York: Routledge, 2009.
Oremus, Will. “Facebook Is Eating the Media. Is That Such a Bad Thing?” Future Tense, May 13, 2015. www.slate.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment