Journalism In Social Media

For this assignment, I was asked to discuss various topics concerning modern-day journalism in response to a meeting we had with a radio host from the CBC here in New Brunswick, Terry Seguin.  I was absent from school on that day, and so I did not have the privilege of listening to the experienced journalist speak.  However, I will try my best to present my views on similar topics that were discussed in that meeting from that day, to the best of my ability.

Topic #1: Social Media's Ties to Journalism
Modern journalism is greatly impacted by the influence of social media and the internet.  With sites like twitter and Facebook quickly becoming more popular sources for individuals with internet connection to access their news, we are seeing a lot more discussion in the form of two ways conversation between the journalists and their readers via comments posted on the web. 

There are many pros and cons to this, as some would argue.  For example, the solidarity of a news source is often lost when viewed on the web as some people are less likely to trust what they are reading than when they hear it on the radio or watch it on TV.  On the other hand, the internet and social media create an environment where validation of a news source can occur.

Personal response allows different accounts of the same story to emerge.  In this way, an entirely new article can be formed, based on the conversations between the readers and the journalists themselves.  Critiquing and correcting miss-information is also allowed, and if the journalists choose to listen to what is being said, then they can ultimately create better news articles than they did before.