Note: Blog posts tagged "J117" (such as this one) are requirements for the Online Journalism class I'm taking this semester. See all of my J117-related posts.
Online journalism is changing the media because it easily subsumes the tri-media. Conventions of print, television, and radio can be used to complement each other in a common environment online. ABS-CBN, a TV giant, now publishes print stories, in addition to an online stream of its radio station and videos on news reports—all in one website.
The emerging online medium is also opening up the newsmaking process and making it much more participatory. Audiences now have a greater hand in what makes it to the news, as evidenced by CNN's iReport and ABS-CBN's Bayan Mo Ipatrol Mo. People who would never have a chance in the tri-media are now popular political bloggers, YouTube stars, and prominent podcasters. My friend Jeric Peña runs a very impressive backpack journalism site. He does all his own writing, recording, and editing. Leave it to bloggers to accomplish what news networks do with a three-man crew and a news van.
The real test for online journalism will be its adherence to the profession's ethical standards. The medium has made it all too easy for people to claim to be journalists while evading the strict ethical considerations that define the profession. For my Journalism Ethics class, for example, I looked at BlogWatch, which, in my opinion, presents itself as a "citizen media" effort but seems to fall short of journalistic standards.
Time will tell whether online journalism can reliably live up to these industry-defining standards.
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