The Changing Journalist, Shannon Findlay

What is journalism? In recent years this term has been a hard one to pin down. The ever emerging technologies that have made new and faster ways for the free flow of information are changing the face of journalism as we know it. At one point news was reserved for the papers. If you wanted the sure-fire way to find out what was going on you picked up a newspaper. The introduction of the radio, brought a new and faster method. Following closely behind, the television arrived and news delivery was once again changed forever. Cue the entrance of the Internet, and journalism has become a whole new ball game.

With the arrival of the Internet came widespread accessibility. Not just for the reader, but for the writers as well. No longer is the reporting of news left to the professionals; on the contrary, any person with access to a computer and Internet connection can make a mark on the world. This new group of self motivated news writers have been labelled 'citizen journalists'. At one time the bringing of news was an elite market, reserved for those trained in writing and research, but now, the door has been thrown wide open as anyone with something to say can let it be heard in the vast sea of knowledge that is the Internet.

With so much information to be found in one place it can create a difficult issue of trying to decipher the fact from the fiction. Does every blogger really know what they are talking about, or are they describing personal opinion and labelling it as fact? As Megan Perras said in her blog post on citizen journalism, "everyone wants a shot in the limelight." Bloggers are finding their limelight online by writing for all to see, but with so many different blogs to choose from, it is hard to create an audience of any significant size. Such a phenomenon can be compared the movie "The Incredibles", when the 'bad guy', Syndrome, plans to sell his electronics to the world so that anyone wishing for super powers can have them. He says, "I'll sell my inventions so that everyone can have powers. Everyone can be super! And when everyone's super-- no one will be." When everyone is a journalist, is journalism still a job? Or when everything is being reported on, is anything news?

Citizen journalism has its ups and downs, just the same as professional journalism. However, it is important to know what is news and what is someone's opinion. In the world of online, where any and all information is just a click away, it is the reader's job to read critically and be aware of what is worth reading. It easy to find the scribblings of a person vying for their turn in the limelight, but it is a much better idea to look harder and read what is true.

*Note: image from Biske.com

The Importance of Being You, Katrine Sorensen

With the rise of web 2.0 came the need to create a personal image or a personal brand.

Since success is measured in the number of followers on Twitter or the number of friends on Facebook, it has become very important to have a distinct personality or controversial opinions to break through the digital wall.

Reality tv is an excellent media for broadcasting an exaggerated image of the people involved by creating a media personality. Paris Hilton or Nicole Ritchie are excellent examples of people that have created an image that is so entertaining, appealing or controversial that they have become famous for their, hopefully, exaggerated alter egos. The outrageous personalities who are the driving forces of reality tv raise the question: is reality tv reflective of reality? Does it give a fair and balanced representation of the characters of the people involved? These concerns can very well be transferred to online media. Are the online celebrities giving a fair and balanced account of the issues they are trying to raise attention to? Is controversy and biased views shortcuts to attention? Kevin Penny brings Fox News up in his blogpost about bias. Fox News is a news station that is infamous for its biased discussion and unjournalistic methods; however, it still has the most viewers in the states. Perhaps a biased and one-sided world simply easier to follow for the average viewer/reader?

Of course, new media can also be used for aspiring journalists to have their voices heard in a time where competition is only becoming fiercer; however, I think the discussion of a distinct online 'voice' is problematic when the most integral qualities of a journalist are fairness and objectivity. Perhaps the greatest challenge for citizen journalists or journalism students is to trust their own abilities, so they do not need to rely on fake eccentric personalities to become popular online.

This blog provides tips to building a personal brand online.

Note: Image from usmagazine.com.