I found this piece really interesting. I really enjoyed the second reading that we did titled "War and Peace in the Global World". To start, I think the first sentence that really caught my eye was "Congdon tells of one editor that refused a journalist's request to visit a nearby town to report on a speech saying, "somebody will send us something about it in two or three days." I found this part of the chapter funny mainly because as journalism students, we are taught the need to report on things in a timely manner and the importance of reporting breaking news events. I think it was funny to see the way how things have changed over time. Back then the telegraph changed the speed at which journalists were able to transfer information to the general public. Now, the speed at which news is spread is almost laughable. It gets to a point where it sometimes seems as though news isn't created, stories and events just seem to appear. It is weird to think at one time that people didn't hear of things until two to three weeks after they happened when today, if you don't hear about a breaking news story within a day you feel totally out of the loop.
Another part of the article that I found interesting was when the author brought up the idea of who should be doing the reporting? They thought that telegraph operators should be doing the reporting, mainly because news was coming from all over the world and the only people quick enough to decode the messages were the telegraph operators. This makes me think of reporters and journalists today. In an age where anyone can spread information at the touch of a button, who in our society are real journalists or reporters? It makes you think that we live in a society of reporters although very few would actually call themselves that. I think that it is funny to see how far we have come from the age of putting out information so slowly that it was untimely to an age where we put out so much information so quickly that we can't seem to sort through to find the correct information.
I agree with this especially on the idea of what a reporter has become. In the reading it says how reporters are constantly receiving and reporting news at the drop of hat, where as compared to the time of the telegraph it could take a week for the news to even be delivered. Its interesting how much has changed and how technology has developed, along with how much the job of a reporter themselves has changed over time. Even though the task of the job remains the same, the mediums in how the news has been transmitted has drastically changed.
ReplyDeleteI also think it is interesting to look at how journalism has changed with the invention of new media and technologies. Today's journalists have to be so much more than just news reporters; they have to be able to quickly adapt to new platforms, learn how best to spread information, consider which audiences are reading their stories, and be able to speak the language of a media platform (hashtag, RT, etc.). It is also necessary to learn how to effectively write for both print journalism and digital journalism.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree that it is now hard to define what a journalist is. I think that when a new technology comes out, society must come out with a new definition of what a journalist is. This definition has to be a fluid thing because technology is ever changing.
ReplyDeleteI love how you brought up the "somebody will send us something about it in two to three days" sentence... I literally thought of the same exact thing when I read it. As a journalism major, we are constantly taught that we need to report in a timely manner. It must have been so weird living in such a slow-paced time period.
ReplyDeleteI love the second paragraph and how you bring up who should be reporting. I think it is important in this day and age to determine who is a reporter and who is not. But like you said, with technology we live in a society of reporters. Everyone has the ability to report now if you are in the right place at the right time, you can report on some news worthy story. Do you think it is good or bad that everyone can be a reporter in a way now?
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