Genna Gross
ISC 110
Professor Wenderholm
The main aspect of Journalism is knowing how to construct information.
Journalists use components such as organizing, gathering, and synthesizing to present
information through stories, interviews, and more (Diakopoulos, 2012). The job of a
journalist is to add value to raw information so that the reader will be capable of
understanding it. They do this by making the information more accessible, memorable,
putting it into context, and overall increasing the quality of it. (Diakopoulos, 2012).
Information Science, and the profession of being a data journalist, both present new
opportunities to use technology as a source to deliver their material.
Journalism is the process of reporting events, information, and stories through a
various amount of mediums. These forms can include newspapers, magazines, books,
radio, television, as well blogs and social media. The main job of an ethical journalist is
to provide the public with accurate information, which is what makes data so important.
Obtaining this reliable information is more important than speed when it comes to
releasing a piece. There is a lot of research that comes with the job of being a journalist.
This research can be retrieved in many ways including, background digging, interviews,
and even observation.
Journalism has transformed into much more than it’s original paper form. No
longer do people solely rely on newspapers for their information, or wait days to receive
it. The aspect of reporting has become an Internet revolution. As these stories being
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reported on are happening, they are constantly being updated from multiple sources
through a large network of social connections (Lorenz). “The language of this network is
data: little points of information that are often not relevant in a single instance, but
massively important when viewed from the right angle” (Lorenz). This supports the fact
that information has an extensive impact on journalism today.
Social media has a great impact on journalism today. In our modern society,
people want their information instantaneously. With this aspect being crucial, it is
influencing journalism, as we know it. The Internet and the medium of social media are
now beneficial tools that journalists can use for many reasons. Not only can they use
these tools to report stories, they can use them for newsgathering, as well as feedback.
Online blogs usually allow comments from readers to voice their opinion on the piece,
which can provide journalists with important information. This platform has given
journalists a wider range of material and offers a two-way experience for the writer and
the reader. Social media also has the power to transform local news, to international news
with the aspect of audience engagement (Social Media’s Impact on Journalism).
This demand for instant news has challenged the objective of journalists. This use
of social media has often forced journalists to compete with the average citizen when it
comes to releasing information to the public (Social Media's Impact on Journalism ).
Journalists need to verify the information before they release it, which is something a
common “tweeter” does not have to do. Also, the information a journalist wants to use
from a social networking, site such as Twitter, must be information that can be verified.
In addition to these complications Twitter arises in the career of a journalist, Twitter just
recently added a feature that allows them to release emergency updates. This allows
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public institutions to release emergency alerts via push notifications. This is considered
“a new feature that brings us one step closer to helping users get important and accurate
information from credible organizations during emergencies, natural disasters or
moments when other communication services aren’t accessible” (Social Media's Impact
on Journalism ). Is social media and new technology taking over journalism and the news
industry?
More than ever, people are relying on social media for their news. In our digital
generation, traditional news is becoming less and less relevant (Mashable). Even though
it is convenient to have news immediately, there are many downfalls to social media
being a news medium. About fifty percent of news consumers report receiving “breaking
news” from a social media site only to learn the information was false (Mashable).
Another downfall is that amateur reporters could potentially put themselves at risk or
harm’s way just to “get the scoop” (Mashable).
Using data the right way can change the focus of a journalist. Providing a story
that explains the deeper meaning of the information is significantly more important than
being the first one to report it (Lorenz). The real opportunity is the chance to transform
the information. “Using data transforms something abstract into something everyone can
understand and relate to” (Lorenz). Journalists can configure a convincing position when
transforming data into something palpable for readers.
Data journalism differs from the rest of journalism. The potential to create an
intriguing story occurs when you stray from the norm. Data journalists use digital
information to express their pieces. There are many career opportunities for data
journalists. The media and newsrooms are popular places for careers in journalism;
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however, there are many more positions. “Companies and institutions around the world
are looking for “sensemakers” and professionals, who know how to dig through data and
transform it into something tangible” (Lorenz). Information rules the world- and to be
able to write about it effectively, and transform it into something that makes sense, is an
appealing skill.
With new technology becoming available, data driven journalism is becoming
extensive. News organizations are spending money on recruiting talent to ensure they
have the best, most accurate stories. For a journalist to become knowledgeable in
searching and visualizing data is transformative to the profession as a whole. Building
pieces and strong positions supported by data makes the story more reliable. Instead of
companies hiring journalists to produce a large amount of meaningless stories, it is more
valuable to them to have a more beneficial, high content piece. This is a newly
demanding occupation, however, not an easy one. Raw data can be hard to process when
you need to visualize it in a way that can produce a compelling story.
Now that information today is more bountiful, the way it is processed is more
important (Lorenz). Data journalism is the future. Analyzing data using different tools to
create stories is what journalism has always been; however, using new technology to
better the process is becoming innovative. “Data journalism can be understood as the
media’s attempt to adapt and respond to the changes in our information environment”
(Lorenz).
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Bibliography
Diakopoulos, N. (2012, January 2). Journalism as Information Science. Retrieved May
5, 2014, from Musings on Media:
http://www.nickdiakopoulos.com/2012/01/02/journalism-as-informationscience/
Lorenz, M. (n.d.). Why Journalists Should Use Data. Retrieved May 5, 2014, from Data
Journalism Handbook:
http://datajournalismhandbook.org/1.0/en/introduction_1.html
Mashable. (n.d.). Retrieved May 14, 2014, from How Social Media is Taking Over the
News Industry: http://mashable.com/2012/04/18/social-media-and-the-news/
Social Media's Impact on Journalism . (n.d.). Retrieved 05 14, 2014, from Social Media
Frontiers: http://www.socialmediafrontiers.com/2013/09/social-medias-impacton-journalism.html#.U3I_RuddXmU
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