Innovation in 2017

Crystal Ball: The Future Of Journalism

Written by Benjamin Madden

In the face of much uncertainty, journalism continues to prosper. There’s a lot of doom and gloom about, but more than ever, journalism is needed. Nieman Lab spoke to some of the top journalists and publishers in the world about their predictions for the future of journalism.

“Journalism is often at its best during periods of genuine turmoil or uncertainty.” – Almar Latour, executive vice president of Dow Jones Media Group.
Even in today’s society, where people go online for their news, people turn to quality journalism. As much as journalism is always needed, people know that when crisis hits, the journalists will be there to cover it.

Journalism is at its strongest during crises because the journalists are the one with the training, tenacity, and humanity to cover the events as they need to be covered. People flock to the voices that they trust more, and journalists are able to prove themselves time and time again.

This statement especially rings true in today’s society, as events become more and more ridiculous (especially in politics). People turn to journalism in these times, because often it’s hard to know where else to look. There’s a lot of faux-propaganda going around, but quality journalism will always be people’s first port of call.

“In a crowded marketplace, maybe that’s what young people want — reliable news with a trustworthy perspective. They’re not looking for omniscient objectivity, but trusted, truthful perspectives.” Asma Khalid, NPR Reporter
Younger people are increasingly looking for perspective, rather than neutrality. People want context to their news, and deeper, more meaningful explanation, rather than the bare bones.

This is where the online presentation of news can shine. People can be linked to context, hear multiple forms of storytelling under the one umbrella, and be shown footage, audio, and text, all of which is intertwined. This is far removed from the past, where people gathered their news from newspapers.

The online sector is the future, and young people are increasingly learning that media is evolving. More than ever, people can show their perspectives in their writing, because people are looking for personality with their news.

Image Credit: Infowire.dk under CC 2.0

About the author

Benjamin Madden

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