Critics are spending too much time fearing the collapse of journalism. The industry is evolving and the contributions from citizen journalists and bloggers shouldn't be viewed in a dim light. Instead, journalists should embrace sites that still share the news, but do so in a different way. If "technology has enabled millions of consumers to shift their focus from passive observation to active participation," as Arianna Huffington comments, then it is a part of distributing people's right to free speech. This is the direction the digital era is heading towards and it shouldn't be limiting.
As people are spending more time using online outlets as their news sources, journalists have to adapt accordingly. The definition of Journalism 2.0 implies how journalists who don't become digitally literate will be at a disadvantage compared to those who embrace the changing climate. Social networking sites like twitter, facebook and blogs are not going to disappear and with that said, journalists should learn how to work with these facets.
The idea of charging people for the use of online news articles should remain an idea. If reputable news sources intend on maintaining the support of their followers then they have to be easily accessible to public. If the public is forced to pay for their news, then it will likely search elsewhere for its news. Charging for online news will rapidly narrow the public into the direction the industry would like to avoid: blogs and other citizen journalism outlets.
Bloggers should understand, like Rupert Murdoch mentions, that rewriting news stories without attribution is unfair and unethical. Bloggers shouldn't be taking what journalists have spent time to prepare and claim it as their own. Social networking sites do not overshadow what reputable sites have to offer. Online news sites have the advantage of credible reputations on their sides whereas blogs have been ridiculed for being shaped by opinions rather than facts.
Note: Photo from a blog of her own
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