Common Place Book: Journalism in Digital Age (The Transformation of Print Journalism in Social Media Era)

In journalism for years the newspaper was the it source for news even over TV and the Internet, because of in-depth news analysis. The who, what, when, where, has turned into how fast can the industry get news out to the public accurately. That has been the conundrum for print media along with declining sales. With the advent of social media large news papers are no longer the gatekeepers of thorough news coverage in the wave of change from print to digital media.

Print news is no longer venerated as it was by former generations. The public does not have to struggle with the monotony of waiting for their favorite paper to print a trending topic. The news gathering industry as a whole has taken hold to social media use as a vehicle for a change in standards. Now days regular people are breaking local, national, and world news of importance and posting this journalistic information to social media sites such as Twitter, Youtube, and Facebook. Amongst the mayheim of the Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev scarily tweeted  after his alledged attack in April, "Ain't no love in the heart of the city, stay safe people." Because of social media people have a first hand glimpse into a suspected sociopath's mind without media spin. Also, in April of this year a plane crashed in Utah a passenger recorded the event and posted it on Youtube. The story made the local and news national news a little later. Social media is an aid to the journalism print business where it has field reporters all over the world, and it gives the industry the view of present news from the publics perspective. Unlike print social media is not limited to interviewers or questions and answers, it is in your face, current and free.

Print journalism has dwindled in the digital age. As of 2011 paper sales had been on a decline for 6 years straight from that point The Newspaper Association of America reported. Information on NAA retrieved from Reflection of a Newosaur blog: "the industry’s trade association, reported...that print sales fell by a steep 9.5% in the first three months of the year, dropping industry-wide print sales to $4.7 billion, a level not seen since 1983." This source explains from about 2005 to 2011 the newspaper industry has taken a major hit. This is due impartially to print journalism having to contend with the prevalence of digital media and the ease of access to it. Social media plays a role as news service now days, most consumer are not willing to pay one to two dollars on print any longer when news can be gained free with greater coverage.

"The reason newspaper sales are not recovering is that consumers and marketers are moving ever more aggressively to the digital media. Consumers can find more information, can obtain more choice and can transact business more efficiently on a laptop or a smart phone than they can with even the very best newspaper. Advertisers understand this..." said by Alan B. Mutter in 2011 Reflection of a Newosaur  blog on the decline of print.

Mutter surmised that people are going after information that is given faster and are not compromising to print for news or ad space predominantly. The goods of print has waned and has been at an all time low over the years and people have made a gradual change to social forums for news and ad space. This is the beginning to industry adaptation and eventual normalcy.

Social media sites are social blogs, news transfer, and collection services. Sites such as Twitter have catapulted to a news industry norm for use. Twitter captures trending ideas from industry leaders and celebrities, which instantly makes their thoughts on politics, religion, and sports newsworthy. Every big newspaper in major markets like New York, Washington D.C., and Los Angeles has a Twitter account along with other social media platforms for news aggregation. News aggregators such as the Associated Press have gone social to open up the market of news gathering with the new avenue possibilities through social media use. The job of social media has grown and it has enlarged harmed print until journalism print groups intergrated it into its everyday process to help serve its consumers.

The landscape of journalism as a whole has taken an revolutionary turn, especially in print. The public now decides what news is, and not major news companies for the most part. It is a must for print news intermediaries to use social media less they get scooped by an everyday citizen, and even if a company does get beat it can still use information for its own interest. Print journalism has latched on to social media big time. In short journalism has sprouted new wings to rise into the horizon of this new digital social media frontier.

Post by: William Bell

Media Specialist, Journalist, and Teacher