ABSTRACT
The new communication technologies are changing the way we live, work, access information and content, relate to one another, and the way media writers do their jobs. This chapter explores some of the challenges these new technologies present and how they be met for effective communication. Topics include: writing for online newspapers; using maps, links, and graphics to enhance online reporting; writing and posting for social media, including blogs, Twitter and Facebook; and, other social media apps. These communications tools augment traditional news reporting by providing an interactive relationship with audiences to enlighten and inform in ways in which traditional media could never achieve. But there is also a down side to all this technology. Journalists, broadcasters, and public relations specialists are tied to an invisible electronic tether, capable of being reached by sources or supervisors at all hours and expected to generate, update, and constantly refresh information in order to avoid being scooped by the competition.
