Bob Dylan sang, “the times they are a changing.” Technology is an ever-changing specimen and to be successful in any field one must learn to adapt to those changes. Journalists of the present and future will face many challenges will confronting the technological advances of journalism. “There will be no transition to the web-the web exists and is as different from 20th century journalism as apples are from hand grenades.” It is how they deal with these changes that will decide their journalistic fate.
The notion of blogging may irk some traditional journalists, though it would be to their advantage to pull out the positives and use it for their professional gain. People in today’s world want their news now, and they want it fast. So a writer does not have much time, before the reader may move on to the next story. Like blogging, journalists need to keep it short and to the point because they are just one click away from losing their audience.
Traditional media must keep its ears to the streets and be looking for new innovative ways to advance itself. To be ahead of the curve, journalists must be willing to go out on a limb, to experiment with different projects. This does not mean we must abandon the “formal gatekeepers” of journalism; experts are still needed in the field. Traditional media must embrace the change and think of technology as an asset not a hindrance.
