Online Communities and Journalism are on track for a crash collision. Online Communites have grown to beccome some of the largest communities in the world. Containing people of countries from as far east as the eye can see to the west, they share their thoughts, principles, opinions, decisions and perspectives.
Online Communities allow people to act as journalist. Journalist do not consider all journalism to be politically correct journalism. They percieve journalism as being an expert opinion from an expert. True journalist feel as if journalism can only be written by those with degrees and professions in journalism. But what is a TRUE journalist? Is it someone who simply writes for professional journals, the reporter or the editor. Well, Wikipedia describes a journalist as a person who practices journalism. Journalism being the gathering and spreading of information about current events, trends, issues and people (Wikipedia,Journalist). If this is the case, then you do not need a degree to be a journalist. Journalism comes in many different forms. Causing online communities and journalism to be related.
Some say that online communities are interferring with journalism. Not online journalism, but traditional methods of journalism such as the news broadcast and radio. "the internet has been both praised for increasing social discussion and criticized for decreasing face to face interaction." (Missouri school of Journalism)
Blogs are a major part of online communities that allow people to make acts of journalism. J.D. Lasica calls this type of journalism, "Participatory Journalism." Referring to individuals playing an active role in the process of collecting, reporting, sorting, analyzing and disseminating (J.D. Lasica,2003). In a sense, online communities and journalism need each other. They push each other to provide better information and more current updates. Online communities allow people to interact and discuss journalism from other journalists and create their own opinions from it.
I hope that people can see the relationship between journalism and online communities. They need each other. Online communities are not tearing down or degrading journalism, it is building up journalism and upgrading the way that it is percieved and the availability of it.
Carlson, Matt (2007). Journalism Studies. Blogs and Journalistic authority. Retrieved April 20th, 2007 from 8.(2), p 264 - 279, 16p
N.A., N.A. Building a Better Online Community. Missouri School of Journalism. Retrieved April 20th, 2007 from http://journalism.missouri.edu/news/2006/11-10-online-communities.html
Lasica, J.D. (2003). Blogs and Journalism need each other. Retrieved April 20th, 2007 from www.jdlasica.com/articles/nieman.html
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