Current Trends in News Media: Campus Journalism

CAMPUS JOURNALISM
Assignment #3:
Current Trends in News Media

1. New Trends of Journalism: New Business Models, Media Ownership, and Preserving Editorial
Independence
The rise of the Internet and other digital media pose a particular challenge for traditional news outlets
including print and broadcasting. In many parts of the world, newspaper sales have declined since the
early 2000s, and some have opted only to have electronic versions of their publications.
While digital media and its myriad applications offer traditional publishers new channels for distributing
content to a wider audience, increased revenues have not followed. The three most common revenue
models for online news remain subscriptions, advertising, and donations. Each comes with its own
benefits and drawbacks.
Journalism is a public good, but who will pay for it in the future? In the past, the media markets in many
countries have enjoyed both private and public funding. The big media houses, generally run by private
companies, are the media outlets that offer general international and national news, but these are the
ones facing economic pressures from the rise of digital media.
Today, targeted niche markets, such as science, business, and sports, often deliver the profits media
owners seek—as do sensationalist, populist, and biased news. What are the new business models going
forward? The use of the Internet as a major information source raises important questions on the future
funding of media, on the need for journalists’ unions to examine their strategies for organizing a new
work force in journalism, and on ways of building new partnerships with citizens in order to defend
press freedom.
Finding the balance between generating profits in a new business environment—while holding on to the
well-established journalistic standards and maintaining editorial independence—has emerged as one of
the most pressing and urgent issues facing journalism in the digital age.
2. Journalism's New Power Lies in Technology
Technology gives journalists new power. Instead of fearing the dramatic shifts in our industry, we
celebrate it because it provides new ways of solving age-old problems that allow journalists to go far
beyond storytelling.
Innovations, whether you’re talking about television or the internet, have continued to change how the
average person discovers news. And no matter where you look, technology still doesn’t show signs of
slowing down. There’s no denying the power the internet has when it comes to keeping people
informed and connected. In this day and age, it’s far more likely to learn about a current event via a
WiFi-connected mobile device such as a tablet or smartphone. Tech companies everywhere are enjoying
the benefit of features such as push notifications that keep their readers engaged and wary of their
latest information.
3. The Shadow of Paid-For Journalism
A call for journalism in aid of development provoked heated discussions. Its legitimate progressive
aspects were co-opted by governments wanting to control the press. The practice saw the wholesale
and institutional re-purposing of journalism as a vehicle for state propaganda.
This also encouraged and institutionalized the practice of cash incentives or gifts given to journalists to
secure favorable coverage. The conflict of interest is obvious: a journalist who takes bribes is reporting
for his personal gain. A reporter then can slant the story to favor a subject who has paid or promised
payment and shares the reward with other editors.
The practice cannot be excused because of low salaries: even those who are well paid succumb to
bribery. The overall lack of transparency is sinister. During the Marcos years the press openly favored
the regime. Given today’s supposedly free press system and the claim for press autonomy, “paid-for
news” and political bias can be passed off and appear as legitimate stories.
4. The Advertorial
The line between editorial and advertising content blurs easily on the pages of newspapers, where the
content of reports may sometimes legitimately provide consumer information about new products in
the market. However, the most blatant demonstration of a conflict of interest occurs when the
advertising contract includes non-advertising content. The “advertorial” is presented as a report, but it is
nothing but re-packaged advertising material, produced by ad companies.
The advertorial has also made its way into the community-based press as described: “Advertisers now
want their traditional advertisements to be accompanied by articles and some of these are disguised as
news. So that newspapers package these as marketing strategy to augment revenues.”
5. Lack of Transparency
Exchange deals, merchandise and other business services, are not all reported and the audience can be
oblivious to the advertising content in these so-called news features. Exchange deals are used for
employees as well as for guest entertainers or commentators who are not paid anything for their time.
These practices have also found their way online. Puff pieces on companies and their services appear as
regular articles but may have been produced on the basis of an exchange.
There has been no effort to establish rules about how news services online should clarify the division
between advertising and news. The dynamic character of web and social networking sites further blurs
the distinction between news and advertising and the lines separating the two. Advertorial features can
be found in the same space (home pages and social media timelines) as the news and other
independently-produced editorial content.

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CAMPUS JOURNALISM

Current Trends in News Media

2. Journalism's New Power Lies in Technology

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