Internet Journalism: The mouse is mightier than the pen

With the increase in internet usage, everything has gone online. Businesses, politics, making friends, even news reporting. Owing to the ability to instantly transmit multimedia information, the internet has allowed people from all over the world to report the latest happenings in real time. In this entry, let us look at three aspects internet journalism cannot replace from print media.

Too much information to process
When is too much information TOO much information? With a newspaper, and article can range from a small credit card sized, to a full page report. When you're done reading it, you're done. However, reading news on the internet is like a slushpile. You finish a one-page article, but then there's a link to another report. You finish that, and find three more links. After reading close to 10 reports, you may then realise you have been reading the same information over and over again. Just written by someone else.

You cannot "turn off" print media
Unlike electronic devices, print media does not require boot-up time, does not require an internet connection, and does not require expensive hardware. You don't need to carry your laptop around in order to read the news at the coffee shop or in the doctor's waiting room.

You know you're getting NEWS
Anyone can be a journalist on the internet. You don't need any qualifications. Your opinionated friend, your grumpy neighbour, or your playful nephew can go online and create a post. However, how do you know you are reading an objective report, or a subjective one fuel by opinions and biases? Well, unless the author of the report states his credibility and declares no affiliation to any side, chance are you won't be reading the news.

So even though internest journalism is a growing trend, there are just some aspects of print media it can never replace. It looks like good'ol newspapers are here to stay!