Journalism is slowly becoming online. Many news agencies, including those that release newspapers, are venturing out to the online market.
In an industry where competition is tight, one cannot blame its players on following the online trend because it is what today�s reading public prefers more. Given its global scope, instantaneous responsiveness of its readers and 24/7 news and updates, the Internet admittedly has some edge over the print material.
The world wide web also has become a venue for citizen journalism. Millions of people who have access to the Net and own social networking sites accounts and blogs are given the chance to be seen and heard worldwide. They upload and publish straight news, features, literary works and even post their opinions and comments regarding certain issues online.
With these uses, the study of online journalism is considered to be essential. Our society is slowly heading to the technological age where everything is instant, fast and updated. From this, it can be concluded that the future of journalism will also be headed towards the online realm. Therefore, it is just essential for the next generation of writers and even those who are not journalism majors to know and learn about the practice so they can keep up with the rapid-changing industry.
Nowadays, the online journalism here in the Philippines is just beginning to flourish. It is still a struggling industry. But improvements and developments are being made and so, the future of the online practice in this country looks bright.
But in spite of all the these technological advances that are brought about by online journalism, it is still best to not forget where it all started from: the basics.
If there is a lesson that aspects of online journalism has taught me, particularly HTML handcoding, it would be learning how to do things through the hard and tedious way. Sure, there are a lot of more advanced software that can be used in creating a website but still, nothing beats HTML handcoding for it develops patience and a keen eye for details. Personally, I feel fulfilled every time I modify or add something to my website using HTML.
Another lesson that online journalism taught me is the responsibility that the practice entails. I�ve realized the importance of self-regulation when it comes to uploading articles and files and posting comments or responses. Also, I�m reminded that we are given this powerful tool of the Internet. And with this power comes great responsibility. This responsibility includes the proper use of the Internet and the proper way of communicating with its users.
In the end, it�s all about balance. Though we have all these technological advances, we must still not forget about the basics.
Once in a while, it is good not just to look where we are headed, but also to where we came from.
(Image taken from www.everyscape.com)
