Old Versus New

As you already know I am currently reading the book Putting the Public Back in Public Relations by Brian Solis and Deirdre Breakenridge. Chapter 4 discusses journalists and bloggers. Let’s face it traditional journalism is taking a beating from online media. Online media is increasing while traditional media is taking the back seat.

In the book Solis said, “Armed with digital cameras, camera phones, handheld video cameras, podcasts, blogs and social networks, we've entered the era of citizen journalism and user-generated content.” These days news tends to find us.

Typically journalists earn their title by attending college and following ethical guidelines. I think if bloggers followed some type of ethical guideline, it would boost their credibility. I think if bloggers were held accountable for their content, they would be taken more seriously. People will read and comment on well written material that is reliable.

I feel like my peers and I are stuck in this shift between traditional journalism and new journalism. Our professors have crammed the AP Style guidelines and rules into our heads and taught us to be clear and precise when writing our stories. Now I feel that there has been a transformation. The traditional journalism practices that we have been taught are still important in the industry, but there is more. Now professors are trying to modify their teaching styles to prepare us for the changes in public relations and the evolution of social media.