Introduction

We’re all online journalists now. Whether we work for a newspaper, a broadcaster or an online outlet, our stories, pictures, audio and video appear online and what started out in print becomes archived on the web – from ink to hyperlink. Some fear that ‘traditional’ skills of news gathering and news writing will disappear, and that technology will become more important than stories. This is not what this book believes. Traditional skills remain central to the journalist’s craft. The ability to spot a story, to gather and convey information effectively, and the talent to communicate a story accurately are, in an information-overloaded world, essential. The internet has given us more tools with which to do these things. But it has also given us tools to do things that we never thought possible before: the ability to engage directly with readers and collaborate with them; the ability to allow users to interact with different parts of a story in different ways; and the ability to understand our former audiences in ways far removed from crude circulation fi gures or viewing peaks. Using technology is one thing. Getting the technology to do the right thing is quite another. And getting the technology to do the write thing is yet another. Doing the write thing, the journalism, requires new skills and new ways of thinking about how to get the story across and engage readers – not necessarily in that order. The following chapters aim to give context, guidance and practical training for beginners, mid-career journalists and those considering specialising in a particular area such as video or podcasting. Sections on blogging, interactivity, data journalism and user-generated content refl ect the new world we live in. Readers, viewers and listeners – now also users – want to contribute to forums, discussions, blogs and polls, adding their own commentary, analysis, updates and context. Citizen journalists are cutting out mainstream media, reporting news events both global and hyperlocal, allowing their words and multimedia to be emailed, texted, downloaded and published anywhere in the world. Governments, celebrities and advertisers are not far behind. Online journalism is evolving and reporters have to be adaptable. The increasing need to understand the production process should not be underestimated. Good navigation, links and search engine optimisation – tagging stories and tailoring headlines so they are easily found on traffi c drivers such as Google and Facebook – are critical elements of the job. There are no delivery vans online – and users increasingly expect the news to come to them, whether via email, mobile, social networks, personalised news services or a casual search. Stories can be conveyed using a selection of text, video, audio, picture galleries, blogs, maps, timelines and links to resources. Where once a journalist knew that the story facing them would have to be shaped into a 500-word report or a 3-minute package, now before they even leave the offi ce they must decide whether to take along a digital camcorder, camera or audio recorder; whether to put out a quick update on Twitter or Facebook; and if the story will need streaming live on their mobile phone or mapping later on Google Maps. Journalists used to treading a geographical ‘beat’ are having to learn to tread a virtual one too: checking blogs and social networking sites for mentions of their local area or specialism; enlisting the support of an online community to get to the bottom of an issue. Meanwhile, computer assisted reporting helps journalists trawl through statistics and obscure reports to fi nd connections and stories they might otherwise have missed. The most signifi cant change is the transformation of the relationship between journalist and reader. The internet gives readers access to media around the world, alternative perspectives from local, national, international and independent organisations and individuals. And readers can challenge journalists via their blog, Twitter account or comments section. Equally, journalists now have much greater access to their audience. They can reach out to those affected by an issue, or those with expert knowledge. They can conduct polls at the click of a button. Editors can set up forums to allow readers to talk to each other, offering advice or support, or arrange a live chat so that users can talk directly to those in the news. Journalists with a story too big or inaccessible

to pursue on their own can call on their readership to collaborate via ‘wikis’ and a process called ‘crowdsourcing’. This book believes these changes offer ways to re-engage with readers who have become suspicious of journalists’ over-reliance on offi cial sources and PR companies. Technologies that now surround us mean that journalism can become about listening to readers – and working with them – as much as talking to them. The biggest challenge facing journalists in this new media age is knowing which tools to use, when. It is not about technical skills (although access to these is always a factor), but about conceptual ones: thinking creatively about storytelling and news gathering – and, increasingly, distribution too. This book aims to give guidance about the new media landscape and, based on that, conceptual skills to make the right choices in navigating through it. This book should make you question things, make you try new things, but, above all, make you better at what you do. And if you’re fortunate, it will help you do the same for your readers, too.