Specialist Journalism in the Digital Age - Essay Example

Specialist Journalism Introduction Everything has changed over the time including the field of journalism. In fact, this field has seen some great changes with the advancement in technology and change in the ideology. Specialist journalism was previously seen as an area which greatly attracted the interest of organizations as it focused on specializations in particular areas or fields of research. There are many areas in which journalists have to work as the research, collect, assemble, and present information about a wide range of activities and events. However, as many things have changed, so have the duties and responsibilities of journalists towards their jobs. The specialist journalism era is thus coming to an end with the innovations, multitasking, and digital world that has been created. News is known as anything which is creative, unusual, out of the ordinary, and which tends to excite the audience. Journalists have long worked on this field in order to create a framework according to which the function of news is enhanced. Journalists work in various news organizations where the work and fields are divided (Allan, 2004). Previously, news organizations would have specialists which work on particular areas such as political news, health news, entertainment news, informative news, etc. Journalists were given degrees for specialization from universities which specified their area of interest. This is efficient on organizational level as this allows the journalists to give a new way of news value to the audience (Zelizer, 2004). Every specialist journalist works in his own field to make the news valuable, accurate, and complete. News organizations would specify specialist journalists for every different part of subject area, news type, or physical location because they believed in making the news worthy and nailing it over and above their competitors. Organizations have made immense investments for specialist’s posts in order to increase the value of the news organization and bring to the audience a realistic view of the subject area (Becker, 2003). This was a common trend in the previous decade when news mainly included value, worth, and meaning. It was a part of ethical journalism that every journalist must provide a news story which is valuable (Knight, 2010). The criterion to make news valuable is to ensure that it’s true, accurate, and complete. And in order to achieve this criterion, every journalist was given a different area to work on and be the expert of that (McQuail, 2013). Elite journalists are a part of the elite media which tends to influence other mass media or political agendas. Elite journalists have special characteristics as they bring out news stories and build a framework within which other mediums operate (Finberg, 2014). This brings a level of responsibility to provide a news story according to which other mediums will operate. Journalist specialization courses are available in universities as they tend to educate and train the journalists about their responsibilities and duties towards the valuable news stories. Through this training and experience, specialist journalists work as interpreters of the news story as well (Bull, 2010). A news story is not only about surveillance in which the main theme of the news is given and informed to the audience. It is also about the evaluation, interpretation, and explanation of the news to make it valuable and informative for the viewers (Golding & Elliott, 1979). Only a journalist with specialist knowledge is able to interpret the news stories properly that belong to different fields. For example, a journalist who specializes in business journalism can more accurately interpret the economic trends, budget analysis, financial markets, neighborhood businesses, and corporations and their leaders; and how all of these affect the society (Keeble, 2005). This expert knowledge is what makes the news worthy and valuable for the audience (Deacon & Golding, 1994). Previously, it was strongly believed that this specialist knowledge is important and necessary for every journalist to have in order to practice successfully (Seymour-Ure, 1977). This specialist knowledge was something which was required for every field but many believed that this knowledge was acquired on the job. Specialization has become merely a formality now as the trends and organizational practices have changed immensely (Beaud & Panese, 1995). Today, it is rather believed that expert knowledge is gained through experience and practical knowhow instead of specialist knowledge from universities. The practical experience brings out a different kind of knowledge in journalists that is not like the common sense understanding of expertise (Ward, 2013). Journalist skills are rather considered to be more important today than any kind of specialist or expert knowledge (Franklin, 2011). Just in the same way as science correspondents have science somewhere in their background, journalists also have certain skills which do not come from expert knowledge (Herbert, 2000). These are inborn qualities and skills that are present in the personality of a person. Today, this intellect and skill is more often regarded than the expert knowledge gained from degrees (Waever, 2012). Previously, journalist skills included being intellectual, confident, practical, and vigilant to keep a track of all the updates and present them in an efficient manner (Veglis, 2012). Today, the meaning of journalist skills has changed as the medium of news and media have advanced. With the digital age and the importance of internet as a main source for news updates, journalists must have the digital skills to reach to the audience (Kolodzy, 2006). Today, journalists should not only have the specialist knowledge and skills of writing reports, conducting interviews, interpreting news, or presenting the news stories; but in fact they must also have the skills to prepare their stories with visual effects, record and edit their audio interviews, shoot videos, edit them, take photographs, and should mainly have the ability to present the news stories along with all the audio and visual effects (Caprez, 2003). This is what makes an effective news story today which is far different than what happened a decade ago. This era is changing with the digitalization and so is the field of journalism where multitasking and multi-skilling are two of the most important characteristics to survive (Quinn, 2008). Theorists previously believed that diversification in the media industry are the major reason why journalists should be assigned to specialized areas. The journalism field has a variety of diversified areas and goals which need to be achieved in order to practice successfully (Adams, 2001). Diversification is the key to success especially in journalism and media where the audience is vast and their tastes vary. Thus, to match up with the tastes of the audience, media and journalists have to cover up stories and events from all specified areas of interest, locations, and subjects (Kinsey, 2008). There are also a wide range of goals that need to be achieved by the news organizations which include advertising goals, audience goals, mixed goals, and non-revenue goals. News organizations are set to diversify in order to protect the advertising revenues (Farrell, 2010). The mass media needs to be up-to-date and diversified with a variety of subjects to reach the audience. News organizations are the institutions that cover all the events in regard to their geographical, historical, and conventional significance. Advertising agencies contact the news organizations as well as major events and festivals for coverage (Muhlmann, 2008). Journalists thus need specialist knowledge in order to reach the business goals of the organization. Such diversified areas are politics, health, fashion, sports, celebrities, international, science, entertainment, and many others. As these fields are diversified, there is a need for specialist journalists who can understand the subjects and prepare reports accordingly (Leslie, 2013). Specialists and experts of each of these fields worked as interpreters of these fields. Every field needed a special interpreter who could cover all the important aspects of the subject and regard them as valuable news stories (Villard, 2010). However, today there is lesser need for specialization as it is the digital age where people have to be up-to-date with the technologies around them and that could help them in every subject (Kumar, 2002). Today most of the journalism is produced through the internet specifically news sites or the social media. This has marked an end to the specialist correspondence. Journalists of this era should have the skills for conducting research and usage of technological devices to support their news reports (Pant, 2002). Statistics, reports, visuals, audios, and background information about the subject is something which is easily available throughout the internet nowadays, and has become easily accessible. Thus the journalists today simply have to be smart and educated enough to conduct surveys, interviews, and carry out research work (Chauhan, 2005). Collecting the information and facts and presenting it with the help of digital technology is the most important work for journalists in this era. Even a journalist without specialist knowledge can analyze the trends and reports. There are many other reasons as well because of which journalists do not have to necessarily be specialized nowadays. Economic pressures are also a major reason why the requirements and thinking have changes of media organizations (Ward, 2005). Economic pressures have hit every field including journalism where there are lesser investments for editorials, fewer journalists, more content, and lesser time. With this combination, it has become so difficult for the news organizations to hire journalists with specialist knowledge for every different subject (Chapman, 2011). Today, everyone just wants to create interesting breaking news which catches the eye of the audience. Competition has increased because of which news organizations are solely working to reach the minds of the audience and the advertising agencies rather than on creating accurate and worthy news stories (Nord, 2001). Breaking news may also be false and inaccurate at many times because there are no ethics left in the news organizations. Economic pressures have made the news organizations profitable organizations which are working in order to increase their profits and gain more recognition in the audience (Singer, 2007). Journalists are not hired for their specialist knowledge and to give their expert comments on each different subject, but they are hired to create interesting and creative report which would create hype amongst the audience. Since the 1979, there has been a decline in the number of labor correspondents as there have been economic pressures and increase in the journalism through social media and the web. Analysts don’t have to go to different locations in order to carry out surveys or interviews as digital technology allow them to carry out surveys through easy methods which do not require specialist skills (Eadie, 2009). Every journalist of this era is familiar with the technological devices and tools that are used as helping hands for covering up news stories. Financial journalism has however increased as it is about the profit maximization that organizations are running after (Hargeaves, 2005). However, it is true that specialist journalism has finished in this era mainly due to the coming of the digital age and innovative techniques that are used to make news reports and conduct analysis. References Adams, S. (2001). Interviewing for Journalists. London: Psychology Press Allan, S. (2004). News Culture. London: Opens University Beaud, P. & Panese F. (1995). From one galaxy to another, Media, Culture, and Society. London: SAGE Becker, L. (2003). 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