Factors influencing the upward curve in new media

Participatory journalism is a leading factor in why new media is steadily overtaking newspapers in news delivery and consumption. Participatory journalism is barely a year old, yet it is embraced by professional journalists, media moguls, and industry experts alike. "2005 was the year that much of the mainstream media began embracing participatory journalism." (Marshall, 2005, p.14). Asian and European media are the leading markets for consumption of this new phenomenon which seem like a re-invention of journalism. Marshall (2005) advises further that "the crown jewel of participatory journalism is South Korea's OhmyNews.com. The online news organization, which boasts more than 700,000 daily readers, has 54 staff reporters and editors, but at least 70 percent of its content comes from 39,000 citizen reporters. It's new international edition has 300 citizen reporters…These participatory journalism sites offer intense local coverage that big newspapers and broadcast stations don't always provide" (p.14).

Advocates of citizen journalism are quick to point out that "participatory journalism builds trust. This is a way for us to say we don't know everything," (Safran, as cited in Marshall, 2005, p.15). This raises the question of how much trust can a reader build on reports that are produced by neophytes? Maher lends his voice to this concern. He posits that news reported by citizen journalists, "…without going through any editorial process that validates the information, it isn't true journalism," (as cited in Marshall, 2005, p.16).

Blogging is another phenomenon affecting the survival of hardcopy newspapers. Brady (2005) in examining blogging, says "the rise of easy-to-use software has put a printing press in the hand of every citizen. No longer can anyone be denied a seat at the table, and those of us in the mainstream press deny that at our own peril" (p.66). In 2005, blogging's growth led news reporters and publications to source information from blogs and include same in their publications. News events can be accessed in the same instant that they occur. "The digital generation that grew up using the web and playing video games expects its media to be interactive and is turning away from traditional ways of getting the news" (Marshall, 2005, p.15). Reading a newspaper doesn't seem to hold value for this society anymore. The worth a reader gets from reading a newspaper, knowing the information was researched and proofread by trained professionals has been traded for instant gratification. Brady (2005) sums up why this change may be irreversible, "the natural advantages of each medium have blurred in cyberspace" (p.66).

Economic, socio-political, and cultural factors

Political economy asserts the production of media products… is structurally constrained by economic and political factors, especially the private ownership of media industries (Williams, 2003).

Murdock and Golding believe "the mass media are first and foremost industrial and commercial organizations which produce and distribute commodities" (as cit

ed in Williams, 2005, p.56). Media owners are striving to answer the call to uphold the tenets of journalism and preserve heritage in hardcopy newspaper publication. The attempts to resist the changes that are coming as hardcopy newspapers bow to their online and digital versions may not be favourable for the print media industry. McGuire speaks to this when he proposes that "it's time newspaper corporation CEOs and publishers come to grips with history – the history they are writing. Those executives must start imagining that if newspapers are indeed in the death throes, it is they who will be judged. The media history books could well show them watching their industry die for a few percentage points of profit" (as cited in Bugeja, 2005, p.33).

The socio-political factors are overt. Weber believes "the web has the advantage of allowing people to distribute news without needing to buy printing presses or build television studios, thus requiring less revenue to be profitable" (as cited in Marshall, 2005, p.15). Gordon thinks "if you believe in a democratic society and freedom of the press, I don't see how you can look at citizen journalism and say it's a bad thing. It's the most democratic system of publishing ever" (as cited in Marshall, 2005, p.16).

McLuhan and Fiore say "by breaking down the barriers of time and space between people and nations, some argue the media are creating one global family where differences are submerged in favour of what we share, what we have in common… Electronic communications are producing an environment in which people are 'involved with, and responsible for, each other'" (as cited in Williams, 2003, p.214).

Accessibility

The issue of accessibility is a primary concern. If most of the world's population can't access hardcopy newspapers (arguably inexpensive) because they are illiterate or impoverished, how will they access digital and online services? Varian (2005) estimates that over 90% of information currently produced is created in a digital format, and there's a possibility this percentage will increase substantially in the future. Much existing content currently available only in physical formats will soon be digitized.

Community

Localized identity and community may suffer with new media. Skilled reporters are absent in most developed countries' local communities. The majority of the news available online through blogging services and participatory journalism is gathered by neophytes whose long-term interest may be self-serving. Bugeja (2005) advises that "advances in news technology are meant to keep reporters indoors, enhancing productivity often at the expense of authenticity" (p.31).

Williams (2003) exposes the biggest obstacle of new media to our communities. "The spread of global media as well as their increasing centrality in most people's lives is seen as a problem for local communities… The debate about the impact of global media revolves around the question of identity – cultural, national and individual. Everybody needs a sense of who they are, a sense of belonging… The global media pose a threat to the nation, promising to erode those imaginary boundaries that distinguish one group of people from another" (pp.214-215). News consumers' interest in new media opens them to the risk of loss of local community identity through exposure to dominant cultures.