SURVIVALThe future of journalism involves an extension of the written word, a way for the average citizen to contribute and the ability not only to interact but the ability to access vast amounts of information whenever and however they want. There should be no question that journalism will not only survive the Internet age, but will flourish as well. The Internet, allowing the average citizen to participate, will increase opportunities for writing. With more writing opportunities comes growth ensuring that journalism will thrive, thus surviving the Internet age. But news delivery is changing. People are more likely to get their news online where they can control how they view the stories they want to read. This means that fewer people are reading newspapers and this decrease in readership has caused many papers to fold. However, newspapers will be available for many more years to come and we need not worry that the future of journalism will be jeopardized in any way although the direction it takes may change. There are now more ways to access news in the age of the Internet. Citizens can now take an active role by participating instead of being observers only. This leads to instant news availability.
FAST DELIVERY
One of the ways that the Internet has increased readership is that news can now be made available faster than ever before. Citizen journalists and bloggers can now post news stories as soon as they happen. We are no longer waiting for the news hour on television. We are no longer waiting for the paper to be printed. We see stories, via face book, twitter and other social networking sites that are now available because of the Internet. And once people become use to getting their news right away, they will become addicted. Why go back to the old ways and wait for the news to reach you when you can access the news yourself as soon as the news happens. Recording devices that combine audio and video, such as cell phones, have allowed citizen journalist to report on and post stories as soon as they happen.
THE GOOD AND THE BAD
We take for granted that what we read in the newspapers are accurate, unbiased stories that are not only credible, but also checked for accuracy before publishing. This is not the case with news found on the Internet since on the Internet anyone and everyone has a chance to comment. There are good journalists and there are bad ones too. As online users we need to take each story with a grain of salt. We need to know what and what not to believe. We need to check out information from non-credible sources. It is most likely that credible news sites such as "The Washington Post" and "The Toronto Star" will become the main online source for finding news, but citizen journalists play an important role in providing content that may have been missed on other sites. News is everywhere and we must decide what to take in and what not to.
PAID CONTENT
If users have to pay for the news they read on the Internet, then reading online news will certainly decrease according to some critics. Rupert Murdoch, in Jessica Clark's article, claims that consumers know commodities come with a price. He believes that people will pay for on-line news. However, Arianna Huffington disagrees since "80 percent of U.S. news consumers say they wouldn't bother to read news and magazines online if the content were no longer free," she said. With more news being read online and the question of good and bad journalism, perhaps paying a small fee to read credible stories online many be worth it. Considering the amount of time that it takes to check out facts and considering the value of one's time, it may be cheaper in the long run to pay for online news. Since paid-for content is expected to meet all expectations and requirements and pass credibility tests, then the information sites need to be exciting and interesting as well as user friendly; a site the user can fully interact with. This brings us back to the beginning where the future of journalism will not only survive, but job opportunities have also expanded proving that citizen journalist will play an important role in the future of our news.
THE FUTURE LOOKS BRIGHT
With so many new ways to view news our opportunities grow. Critics may not yet understand the full implications that the Internet has provided in allowing anybody to post news stories. Critics may not get that ordinary citizens can now become active participants instead of passive observers. What is not understood is often criticized. It is no wonder then that citizen journalists, bloggers and other unpaid news reporters are not yet respected. But recognition comes with time. The future will provide these opportunities in the creation of new job positions and opportunities to post ones thoughts. In the future everyone shines. The future looks bright.
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