ABSTRACT
The transition to the electronic publishing context has implications, not just for the economics of newspaper publishing, but also for its practice. Newspapers are created by journalists-a fact that will remain largely true regardless of whether the distribution medium is print or the Internet. Journalists will therefore remain a vital cog in the wheel even in the technologically advanced context of online publishing. The Internet, however, will bring with it a number of important implications for journalism practices. Journalism in a multimedia environment still requires most of the basic news reporting skills that are found in the hard-copy world. In addition to these skills, however, journalists and their editors need to acquire a new set of working practices. Electronic publishing opens up fresh possibilities for news delivery that require a different perspective in relation to writing and layout. From a different perspective, the Internet provides a news source that can be utilized by journalists themselves. How valuable a news source has the Internet been perceived to be in this respect? Finding out how the practitioners respond to the Internet is therefore a fundamental area of inquiry. Since the mid-1990s, a number of studies have focused on the significance and implications of the Internet for journalists.
