Press and Online Journalism

Earlier, the word – Press, specifically referred to print media or newspapers to be precise. However, now there has been a change in the notion and it has come to envelope all forms of journalism or news reporting. It now includes TV, radio, newspaper as well as online news casting.

Since its sphere has now increased in multiple ways, it is now a generic term which is universally used to refer to news reporting on any medium or platforms. This has led to an encouragement and implementation of ethics principles or press, on all mediums alike. Therefore now these are applied to online journalism as well, which is also unbiased, honest and sincere reportage.

Like other media’s, online news also carries stories from across the world and the topics covered are vast and never endings. The details of any story, be it recent or one from the past. For instance, details of the case of the death of Lady Diana can still be found online easily and on the other hand, recent stories like Mary Kom winning Gold for India at Asiad is also reported with same journalistic ethics and can easily be searched on the World Wide Web.

Internet has made the concept of reporting more relevant and reachable. Now more people can quickly and conveniently access latest stories and recent updates. And also, the reports can more conveniently and quickly communicate and spread the message or broadcast to masses. This adds to the transparency of reporting, which is now more valued, than in earlier times, when this industry had monopoly and people could not know the public opinion about different updates.

Digital landscape has also helped in dissolving the boundaries for instance, earlier, India news was only broadcast in India, but now, people around the globe can view the updates happening in our nation and discuss share their points of view.

It has also become and interactive medium for public as well as the fourth estate to interact with each other. They can exchange views, make corrections, evaluate various aspects of reporting and validate through multiple sites. Public can now request support from press for promoting a campaign or researching more details on a particular case, essential to society, and also shoulder them in finding facts for the sake of honest reporting. 

Is Online Journalism Growing?

How many newsstands do you come across these days?

Where do you usually get the news that interests you these days?

The world is converging due to the digitization that has happened over past couple of decades. The reducing number of newsstands in your local market is suggestive of the fact that more people now use internet as a medium to gather news and stay updated.

Not that the traditional forms of news reporting has lost its value, it is just that internet audience has drastically increased due to the advent of economical internet plans as well as user friendly websites. Now more and more people like to access their online news websites frequently.

This increasing number is because of the fact that internet audience has the opportunity to be active and not passive. They get a chance to participate in the news reporting, changing perspectives and express views. This makes them feel important and boosts their right to express. The added advantage that digital news has is that:

• It can be interactive
• It can be linked and searched
• And it can be multimedia

The news websites are a lot more than mere shovel-ware now, they now create unique content or digital content for their online portals for latest news in India and world over. They believe in collective, collaborative and interactive way of online journalism or what is more popularly called digital storytelling.

Earlier, the online news was only available in English, however, gradually the developments took place and we now have current Hindi news, or in any other language at the click of mouse. Although the means of gathering news (interviewing, multiple sourcing, field reporting, accurate reporting etc.) is same for print editions as it is for internet, internet is considered more affordable, convenient and approachable.

The news on internet has better intensity than in other forms of news reporting as it uses all form of communicating like written, video, audio, images, etc. Hence, we can say that online journalism is growing by the day and its popularity is ever increasing. This is also contributing to awareness in society about various issues and campaigns more easily.

What are the Socio-Technical Benefits of Online News?

Online news is one of the most appreciated forms of media and suits almost all age groups and helps the society in staying updated about the recent happenings or the latest news from around the world.

It has following major benefits because of which it has gained popularity ever since its inception:

1. No Additional Costs: It has no additional cost associated with it, most of the news websites are free and do not require subscription charges for simply reading the news. 
2. Multitasking: You can access news portals and several other sites according to your convenience, interest and time. You can easily multitask, for instance, you can put a movie to download, and stream a video and access news updates in between or while the file downloads. So with inter you can access your super favorite Hindi cricket news as and when you want.
3. More Choices for News Portals: In the printed editions of the newspapers, magazines etc. you need to pay for one national daily or magazine and read only that, however, in case on online news portals, since they are free, you can access multiple sites at the time and read the popular views before forming an opinion.
4. Detailed Information: You can enjoy reading detailed information anytime of the day about any news you want to explore easily by searching the relevant keyword in the any search engine like google, yahoo etc.
5. 24/7 Updates: Internet news sites are constantly updated as the developments happen in any news story. Therefore, be it Hindi News, English news or Spanish or of any other language, it is surely quicker and more efficient.
6. Customization of News: As the concept goes, news must change daily and hence, it is customized by a team of experts who add new updates to the websites as an when they happen. It also puts masses back into mass media by inviting the opinion about the news updates. 

Hence, different viewpoints exist together on the internet and provides the opportunity to the public to talk back to the media and express themselves. This stands good for all forms of news, be it business news in Hindi, stock market updates in English or any news in any other language. This makes internet a powerful interactive medium to possess some of the essential journalistic qualities for the sake of reporting and spreading awareness.

An Overview of News Scenario

Knowing what goes on around us and how the world is reacting to it is really important for all of us. It stimulates and gives direction to our point-of-views and drives us to the popular viewpoint prevalent in our society.

In societies like ours, which are diverse and dynamic, matters which require attention often gets ignored because of the realm of activities going on. The news bulletins, newspapers, channels broadcasting news and radio channels which air news, are like a blessing for the huge nation that we are.

Moreover, news in local and regional languages helps in communicating the message to the masses at large. This is an essential form of exposure for social awareness of various causes like hygiene issues, corruption, campaigns etc.

These news broadcasts are important because they filter important news for the public. These pieces of information are for common knowledge and general awareness. They vary from topics pertaining to the national interest like economy to development or general social scenario.

For instance, the news could be about the new government, terrorist activity, state/national holiday, new economic growth etc. The topics could cover cosmic range and their main purpose is to educate the audience about the world.

Five types of media is most popular for news-

•          TV
•          Newspapers
•          Radio
•          Internet
•          Mobile Apps

For instance, one could hear latest Hindi news while going to office on radio, or read it in detail in newspapers or news magazines. As a matter of fact, online news is gaining more popularity these days as it is more accessible to those who work in offices, people even use the mobile apps developed by the news channels. These applications are used by smartphone users, and flash updates and latest news on the phone screens so that the user stays updated about the latest happenings. These updates also include weather reports, natural calamities, important events, etc.

Online news is more contemporary and has converged the world at a fast pace. While on one hand it is beneficial for readers as it is quicker and more convenient, on the other hand, it is also beneficial for the news channels as it is easier to update and is less expensive. The internet savvy audience is growing tremendously and so reaching them becomes easier with internet as a via media.

News channels can be categorized into the following types:

•          Private News Channels
•          Public News Channels
•          Sports News Channels
•          Weather News Channels
•          World News Channels
•          Business News Channels etc. 

The field of broadcast journalism is increasing its sphere at a fast pace, the reason is not the increasing rate of crime, but, it is the curiosity of public to know what is going on in society which develops, changes and grows the world around us.

It is the most convenient way of reporting and delivering the news or the occurrence of new things which stimulate a change in the mindsets of people and hence the society. This is why it is one of the most the essential fields as of now and will remain an important area of work in future as well.