It is difficult to discuss the future of journalism with any real certainty because the situation is still unfolding. The increase in participatory journalism has meant that the structure of journalism is already beginning to shift. There seems to be more dialogue between the professionals and the public at large, rather than a one way approach where the professional journalists sit separate from society and communicate to them what is important.
The development of the internet has meant that now everybody has the capacity to put out a story and ‘publish’ their opinions. This leads to questions about the role of professional journalists. As Quandt (2011, 172) argues the emergence of participatory journalism has been met with unease by some professionals who can see it as both a threat to their individual jobs and the integrity of the profession at large. “Doing journalism requires following some rules, applying rigor. You have to fact-check and try to keep a more or less neutral standpoint” (El Pais in Quandt 2011, 172). User generated content does not necessarily follow these rules.
While I do feel that user generated content will continue to change the way journalism operates, I believe that there will always be an important role for the professionals. Apart from anything else, this comes down to logistics. People do not have time to trawl through hundreds of blogs and social media sites to find out what is happening in the world. As Jarvis argues : “there is a flight to quality when it comes to the online experience” (Fitzsimmons 2008). The public needs the official media (which they can be fairly confident is telling the truth) to provide the important news stories. If individuals find a story particularly interesting or relevant, they can then search for more opinions and information in user generated content.
Fitzsimmons, C (2008) ‘@Future of Journalism: Jeff Jarvis on 10 questions we should be asking now’ The Guardian UK, 24 June, http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/pda/2008/jun/24/futureofjournalismjeffjarv , accessed 11 April 2013.
Quandt, T (2011) ‘Understanding a new phenomenon: the significance of participatory journalism’ Chapter 9 in Herminda et al Participatory Journalism, Wiley Blackwell pp155-176.
BCM 310 