By: Saneliso Mlambo
Today I decided to pen my thoughts on what most media people thought would happen to Journalism industry during early stages of new technology introduction.
Well, Journalism is my profession and my third love. I can safely say that I live, breath, eat, walk and talk journalism. Im one of the people who were frustrated about the changes that were coming with new technology (Fourth industrial revolution) to the journalism world.
New technology came with so many changes, but at the beggining it was nothing but fear and frustrations for Journalism houses.
Many people really thought that the new era of new technology taking over was going to be the dead end for journalism.
The truth is: Journalism is not dying because of new technology, but rather adapting and evolving to meet the changing needs and preferences of the audience. With the rise of digital media, news organizations can now reach people all over the world, regardless of geographic location
New technology has enabled journalists to access more sources, data, and platforms to produce and distribute their work. It has also created new opportunities for citizen journalism, user-generated content, and social media engagement.
However, new technology also poses some challenges and risks for journalism, such as misinformation, fake news, ethical dilemmas, and competition for attention. Therefore, journalists need to be aware of the potential impacts of new technology on their profession and adopt new skills, tools, and standards to ensure the quality and credibility of their work.
Honest truth is, new technology is bringing change to journalism in many ways.
Technology enables journalists to create and deliver news and stories in different forms and formats, such as podcasts, videos, interactive graphics, data visualizations, etc. These forms and formats can enhance the user experience and engagement, as well as provide more depth and context to the content.
It also allows journalists to access and use more sources and methods of journalism, such as social media, crowdsourcing, mobile reporting, drones, sensors, etc. These sources and methods can help journalists to gather more information, verify facts, cover diverse perspectives, and reach new audiences.
Technology also poses some challenges and opportunities for journalism, such as competition, innovation, collaboration, education, etc. Journalists need to adapt to the changing media landscape and audience behavior, as well as leverage the potential of technology to improve their work quality and impact.
Truth is; New technology is the real game changer in the media world, something that I can call “a good poison” depending on how journalist and media companies choose to handle it.
New technology brought the bigest change in the world of Journalism. It is the best transformation that journalism needed.
With that being said, new technology is not a threat to journalism, but an answer that will help carry and improve journalism through out.