NEWS AND JOURNALISM

4 APRIL

COMP 381

Topics How people get the news What is a journalist? Digital manipulation

How People Get the News

Info in America 2008 Percentage of Americans who use Internet

for…socializing 80%medical information 60%financial decisions 50%news 40%

Average American: 34 GB data per day¼ Computer; ½ TV; ¼ otheron computer, video 75% (time)

Produce Faster than ProcessOne weekday edition of New York Times MORE INFORMATION than 17th-century Englander learned in a lifetime!

Television Sound Bites 1995 8.3 sec 1965 42.3 sec

Are we REALLY better informed?

Scientific Information Publications (logarithmic scale!)

Nine in ten American adults (92%) get news/info from multiple

platforms on a typical day

For six in ten American adults (59%), one of those platforms is the internet

*Platforms include print newspapers, television, radio and the internet

Multiple Platforms are the Norm

Based on Jan 2010 Pew Internet Survey

71% of American adults ever get news or information online

The majority of ONC are under age 50

Compared to other adults, ONC are…• more educated• more affluent• disproportionately white and Hispanic• more likely to have broadband

Almost a third are under age 30

The median age of ONC is 40

Who Gets Their News Online?

Based on Jan 2010 Pew Internet Survey

% of ONC Who Use Each Type of Site on a Typical Day

Most Popular Online Sources for News and Information

Based on Jan 2010 Pew Internet Survey

Most Popular Online News Topics

% of Online Adults Who Get News/Information Online About Each Topic

Based on Jan 2010 Pew Internet Survey

Overall Coverage51% of U.S. adults say there is currently enough coverage of religion and

spirituality

41% would like more coverage of religion

The only topic that more people want improved

coverage of is scientific news and discoveries

Most Popular Features of Online News Sites

% of ONC Who Say Each Feature is Important

Based on Jan 2010 Pew Internet Survey

The most popular

features allow people to

interact with, share, and

customize their news. This is especially true

for young adults.

How many websites, if any, do you routinely rely on for news

and information?

Do you have a favorite online news source, or do you not

have a favorite?

Based on Jan 2010 Pew Internet Survey

Most People Get News from Multiple Sites

How many websites, if any, do you routinely rely on for news

and information?

Do you have a favorite online news source, or do you not

have a favorite?

Based on Jan 2010 Pew Internet Survey

Most People Get News from Multiple Sites

Only 7% of all people who get news online have a favorite online news source they would

be willing to pay for

Four Styles of Online News Consumption

Efficient Grazers Most use multiple sites, and portals rank high as a favorite online news

feature

Hunters and Gatherers 71% go online specifically to get

news/information at least a few times a week

Serendipitous News Discoverers 80% come across news/information at least a few times a week while they are

online doing other things

News/Info Receivers 44% get news forwarded to them

through email, automatic updates and alerts, or posts on social networking

sites at least a few times a week

Based on Jan 2010 Pew Internet Survey

Who is a Journalist?

Questions Who are (and are not) journalists? Transparency and bias

In 2008, 184 million new blogs (26.4 U.S.)> 50% gone in 1 month1.3 billion links1 million daily posts

364 million people read blogs (>100 U.S.) 95% top newspapers have reporter blogs Miniblogs Technorati

Blogosphere Statistics

First there were bulletin boards (Usenet) First diarist

1994: Justin Hall, student at Swarthmore College

Name1997 Jorn Barger weblog1999 Peter Merholz blogs

Popularity based on toolsEarly blogs HTML, webmaster1999 tools and hosting sites

History of Blogs

“Professional”Citizen JournalismNews extension

○ NY TimesBusiness?

Personal Celebrities

Professional v. Personal Blog

Blogging “People who have an opinion, a modem, and a bathrobe“

Brian Williams, NBC news anchor Independent No regulation Code of conduct

Credibility and trust Journalism

News medium Laws and standards

Bloggers vs. Journalists

Honesty and transparencyAvoid plagiarizing and inaccuracies Sources

Harm minimizationRespect for individuals

Accountability Admit mistakesIntent and disclosuresEthical responsibility

Code of Conduct

Considerations Freedom of speech

Cahill vs. Doe Risks

ConfrontationImprisonment

CredibilityPersonal, not institutional Earned, not given

Jayson Blair

Dan Rather

Wikipedia Not about lying, but transparency

Who are you?What is your agenda?Are you paid by someone?

When you go to a good website, you know who they are and what they care about

Wikileaks (as publishers) Journalists? What is the definition? What are the responsibilities?

Digital Manipulation

Photo Manipulation NOT New Long history Used to be …

harder easier to detect

Vanity

Political Benefit

Today Availability Detection

Content, not technique Examples

ShadowsBad editingSizeAngles

Opinion Making

John Kerry - Peace Rally, Mineola, NY (June 1971)

Jane Fonda - Political Rally, Miami Beach, FL (August 1972)

Dramatic Effect

Technical Limitations

Skewed perception Self-image