Has the Internet hindered or improved the quality of journalism?

Question

How so?

Answer 1

Overall it has greatly improved the quality of journalism.

First and foremost journalists know they will be double checked in todays media. So more and more journalists are taking time today to get facts strait. Journalists also make extensive use of the Net for this fact checking. By doing so they vastly improve both output and quality. It takes a mere hour or two to research most output, the same kind of research would have taken days in the pre-internet era. Nor would the same variety of sources be availible, so any prejudice in the local records would have been assumed to be gospel as the alternitive would be days, weeks or months to compile the same sources.

Another aspect that has greatly helped journalism is the independence the net gives journalists today. Previously they were anchored to large depts for assignments, research, pay and these huge organizations were the only outlets for the final story. Today except for pay, the journalist can do anything they want. They can find hundreds of potential clients and take any assignments they want or freelance. THey can research and even self publish if they want. The only thing not availible is a steady paycheck for very many outside the established media giants. This too is changing as even the media giants will begin to opt more and more for freelance.

The only negitive aspects of the net on journalism are.
Sloppy fact checking. Just because it is on the web does not make it true. Laxy journalilsts or journalists with an agenda will sometimes pick an unreliable or even a reliable but mistaken source and use it. Often even a cursorary check into the data would invalidate it. Not even that is done sometimes.

The other negitive aspect is that since anyone can publish on the web some who shouldn't do. Some work that would never make it past any editor winds up out on the web. So it does tarnish journalisms overall reputation a little.

Answer 2

In my opinion, the internet has both hindered and improved the quality of journalism. For instance it has improved it in that news and information can be disseminiated to a greater number of perons in a shorter period of time. However on the other hand the internet has made it possible or aided in the distortion of news material.

Answer 3

I think it's improved the quality of journalism. The whole point of journalism is to get important, relative information to the audience it effects. Few people pick up a newspaper just to see if anything in there will directly affect them; it's much easier to search for news you want to know and find it immediately. It reaches a much larger audience.

Answer 4

I think hindered, the faster we communicate, the more complex the technology, ect, it seems to dilute the quality with which we connect. Its like fast food communication the upsides are that a large volume of people are acessing it, global news and current affairs are available to more people.
There seems to be more going in one ear and out the other as we want easy, sensationalized high calorie information and thats where journalism is suffering. As is the nature of many of our technological advancements.

Answer 5

The Internet has tainted, manipulated, or in some way distorted the products of journalism but has enhanced journalism as well in terms of accessibility

Answer 6

I think that it has improved the quality of jounalism in that people can get instant news..up to the minute from anywhere in the world or outer space!

It has hindered quality in that the media is FLOODED with stupid stories that someone somewhere THOUGHT was news. We get overloaded with stories from places about people that are pointless.

Answer 7

The internet has loosened the strangle-hold of tradtional news sources on the information-gathering of many Americans... we are no longer entirely dependent on journalists who are paid by commercial advertisers. In this way journalism has a chance of regaining its function as a pillar of American democracy.

Answer 8

In some ways it has helped. people can now get their news faster.

Answer 9

no