ONLINE NEWS AND JOURNALISM IN SOUTH AFRICA.
A report on Times Live, The Daily Maverick and The New Age online
Online news proves to be a formidable competitor in the world of news providers but also an advantage for newspapers to keep their publications relevant. Ten years ago, newspapers and news providers were just beginning to explore the possibilities of near-instant delivery of content to readers that the World Wide Web can supply. Currently, thousands of newspapers, television and radio stations, magazines, and other publications have a presence online, and millions of Web users read news on the Internet every day.
Online presentation of news differs widely from traditional mass media in the level of interactivity and feedback available to readers. the online newspapers examined here(Sunday Times and Daily Maverick) have clearly moved beyond the stage of online journalism where stories on the hard copy are simply reflected as they are online and have begun to incorporate hyperlinks and pictures regularly in their news reporting on the Web.
Converging media by combining audio and video with text not only enriches the presentation of a story, it also takes full advantage of the online medium. Especially for international events that take place in remote locations, the benefits of more involved news presentation are many. As highlighted in the book Online News by Stuart Allan, the media is rapidly changing and getting revamped.
Internet and the World Wide Web cannot set an agenda, primarily because the audience remains small, and many online publications depend on major brand names as the primary sources of information. Therefore, the broadcast outlets and newspapers that operate the Web sites still maintain control of the setting of the journalistic agendas and the public debate.
More benefits of the internet is that it has evolved journalism and has made it harder, better, stronger and faster by demanding the latest news immediately, forcing the media to keep pace with demand. It also opens doors for online writers to pedal their trade, or start a news company or website of their own with little to no cost but with almost certainly more profit. Everything is faster and more up to date, and everything is accessible anywhere.
TimesLive
Blogs
Like the Daily Maverick’s newsletter called ‘First thing’
The new age online’s multimedia hyperlinks
