Journalism Has Upgraded Itself, Thanks To Social Media

“Journalism should take social media into account on the long term” -  Richard Sambrook, Director, BBC Global News Division.

Social media has reshaped journalism. Today, journalists are able to connect with people on a more personal level through social networking platforms like Facebook and Twitter. As interaction with their audience increases, journalists get immediate feedback. They are also able to get the truth out there far more quickly than before.
Journalists and news organizations are now able to publish news updates at any time of the day. Sharing real-time photographs and videos has also become more convenient thanks to dedicated websites like Flickr and YouTube. Even the more general social networking platforms have powerful photo and video-sharing options.

There was a time when a journalist’s job was simply to collect and dispense information. Electronic media changed this, and journalism became more about people, their reactions and opinions. With the advent of social media, “citizen journalism” is finally seeing its true potential.

(Cartoon Resource)

Today, an incident can be reported about as and when its happening, and all one needs is a cellphone. So perhaps, the “Investigative Tweeting” award isn’t as removed from reality as it would seem.