Once upon a time, journalists covered science and war. Both have become too ‘conventional’ for modern print and broadcast news. You could still hold a war or technological revolution these days but nobody would tune-in to it. Newspapers are finding that it is hard to market the news to diversified readerships. You just cannot cater-to them all. Magazines might have an edge because they’re usually read by more specific audiences. Magazine editors have to bank on stories that will still be news when their publications are released anyway. In newspapers, stories don’t get as much time to run cold before going to print. Broadcast journalism has encountered similar issues. Audiences get their news before they get home to the TVs and follow topics online without ever needing to pick up a newspaper.
More than any other medium, print journalism had to adapt-to the new technologies of the Information Age. Among an already elite corps, journalists now distinguish themselves by their online sophistication. That trend will continue while print-media becomes more interactive. ‘Bloggers’ serve a unique niche between print and internet media, and are the latest members of the civil press. They can be the most controversial, too. They often represent only their own views or concerns. So far, blogging has demonstrated the effectiveness of ‘civil media’. Like traditional print journalism, bloggers can have to answer to their content. Their accountability is usually limited to the extent of its exposure though. So is their influence.
