Journalism: from paper to online

It changes journalism, it changes the way articles are written, it changes the media, it changes who reads and the way the news is read (now increasingly on the move: on the bus, in line at the Post Office).

If before the reader was a passive user of the information that was provided, filtered and told by the chosen newspaper, today there is a reversal of the approach.

No longer the container, but the content.

That is, the reader becomes active, choosing the news he or she wants to read, looking for insights, selecting sources, which mix and match. One is faithful to the news rather than the source.
Journalists work on their own brand and have a personal audience (readers, followers, fans). Newspapers must grasp the change and change their skin, form, way of communicating.

Information is fast. Often big news events have been anticipated on social media before the official headlines. A well-known example is the death of Osama Bin Laden, the news of which was first broken on Twitter. The official media did not make the announcement until twenty minutes later.

The news goes on paper the next day, perhaps, however, through the pen of some distinguished signature. Reportage and in-depth reports are left to the paper, which always has appeal, but cannot have the same speed as the information that runs online.

But what if the reader is saturated with every type and medium of information?

If there are multiple sources, if one can easily get lost between those to give credit to and those that have less authority, how can a newspaper, a publisher, a masthead, continue to keep its audience high and loyal today?

Withquality, consistent, fast, up-to-dateinformation.

Online news

Online insights are made possible by “chainlinks,” links, which allow you to go into detail about news, events, keywords, without losing sight of the main topic.

Then there are a number of technological tools that allow us to make sure that theinformation is timely and of our interest: filters in Google News listings, Rss, newsletters, the newspaper’s App through which we can be constantly updated.

The
Financial Times
has adopted an internal strategy of “Digital first.” The editor, Lionel Barber, explained it, recounting how in the newsroom, journalists’ working hours have been brought forward to publish news as early as possible on the web and mobile, preferably at peak reading times. The content to be sent to the newsstand is taken care of in the evening by a small editorial team, which decides by choosing from what has already been published online. A complete reversal of perspective: the focus is no longer on the newspaper as a complex artifact, but on individual articles, each of which must be promoted appropriately, with seo and social engagement techniques. How come this turn of events? Because in October 2013, digital subscriptions of the Financial Times already exceeded print sales by a hundred thousand.

A change of pace

to keep in time with the completely changing habits of readers. One must experiment, not be afraid of technology, but rather use it to the best advantage by taking advantage of it.

Journalists who need to know how to take photos, videos, interact in social networks. Simple viewers who try their hand at being reporters by anticipating news on social media or providing self-produced videos, uploading them to YouTube or YouReporter, and contributing to participatory journalism.

Because information is becoming more and more intertwined with technology.

Author: Monia Donati