The face of journalism has definitely changed with the introduction of the internet, blogosphere and social media like Twitter and Facebook. The delivery of real time news has been made possible thanks to social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook. With websites like Stomp and The Online Citizen, people are finding it easier to voice their opinions about various issues. Citizen journalism also allows for more real time updates about events happening around the world. Not only have audiences realised that they are able to provide, receive and share news so much more efficiently on these sites, reknown news corporations are also starting to acknowledge this fact with the twitter accounts being set up by news companies like Straits Times, CNN and BBC.A classic example of our social media like Twitter affects journalism would be the incident of the US Airways Flight 1549 that landed on the Hudson river on 15th January 2009.
(Taken from Janis Krum's Twitter account @jkrums http://twitter.com/#!/jkrums/status/1121915133)
The picture above was the first picture taken of the plane that landed on the river and it was relased on Twitter in a tweet by Janis Krums on his twitter account @jkrums. The picture went on to be one of the most circulated pictures of the incident and was even splashed across various newspapers. This is a classic example on how citizen journalism can be more efficient and timely than mainstream media. It was thanks to this tweet that the story got out first hand.
Another recent example would be the 2011 Japan Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami that occured on the 11th of march. The 9.0 magnitued earthquake caused a massive tsunami and the loss of thousands of lives. On the ground updates were given by many through twitter and tsunami warnings around the world were also shared through social media.
Another recent example would be the 2011 Japan Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami that occured on the 11th of march. The 9.0 magnitued earthquake caused a massive tsunami and the loss of thousands of lives. On the ground updates were given by many through twitter and tsunami warnings around the world were also shared through social media.
The credibility of news posted online may sometimes be questioned because almost anyone and everyone can post news online and we never know how credible the original source is. That being said, it cannot be denied that the introduction of social media has changed how breaking news events are recorded and covered and has definitely provided more diversity and timeliness in news reports.
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