ABSTRACT

The 'history' of online journalism has actually yet to take place in every part of the media industry, with the same lessons being learned over and over again in different publications. Developed using technologies which had their origin in the space race of the late 1950s and early 1960s; the internet was a 'network of networks' which allowed computers to speak to each other. The chapter covers how key events in the history of online journalism have shaped journalism today, future developments in journalism and their potential effect, and debates over the business model that might support journalism online. Early online advertising adopted the model of print advertising, was displayed next to editorial content and sold on the basis of the numbers of people who would be 'exposed' to it. The decline in the numbers of traditional news organisations led to increasing calls for journalism to be treated as a public good worthy of philanthropic funding.