Newspapers are in trouble, and the whole world knows it. The oldest form of journalism is striving to stay alive while newer, faster, sleeker and instantaneous media has taken over.
Who wants to read the story in the newspaper when they’ve already read about it moments after it happened? There are the newspaper purists that love their morning cup of coffee, while leisurely leafing through their morning paper. As evidenced by declining subscriptions and antiquated reporting methods, the number of newspaper lovers is dropping.
Even the way journalists report the news is changing. Sports reporters who once went to the game, wrote a story or reported on it live during the 10:00 news, are now tweeting updates consistently throughout the game. Fans of the game may not be able to watch because of work or other commitments, but now have access to streaming media through their phones and can follow the play-by-play up to the minute from their favorite broadcasters.
Today we can see journalists using tools like Freemind enabling them to edit a hierarchical set of ideas around a central concept. Using such tools journalists cannot miss even a single idea that they have in their mind to generate a report. Today, open office has been used on a daily basis for journalists. Elements like word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, graphics and other related tasks are positive attributes for the journalism world. Open Office is open source software that is similar to Microsoft Office in many aspects. The main difference is that Open Office is free and open source. There are many other software programs and tools that are being used by journalists and other businesses as well. One of such most popular tool is GNU Cash. The tool might not aid in the regular journalism tasks but is a must have to keep account of the cash flow and expenditures.
It is the technology and a number of computer applications that have reduced the time line to publicize news to the general public. Think about the timeliness of today’s journalism. Within minutes of the New England Patriots winning the Super Bowl this year, journalists from across the country raced to see who could post the information the quickest. After the Super Bowl, go to a website like CBSsports and see how long it takes to post the winner. It’s going to be a matter of minutes.
Even local journalists have changed the way they report violent crimes, criminal trials and traffic accidents. Check your favorite local television station’s news website during the day. If the jury hasn’t reached a verdict in the big trial, that information will be posted on the website.
Even those dinosaurs of newspaper reports are trying to create live video feeds, despite appearances that may be best suited to staying behind the camera. Go to your favorite newspapers website, especially the sports department and look for live video coming from the newspaper.