What Is a Journalist’s Role Today?

The age of instant communication and connectivity has transformed journalism. Bloggers now perform many of the roles once reserved exclusively to professional journalists working for major daily newspapers: commentary and opinion writing, investigative reporting, and analysis of public documents. Many professional journalists have adapted to this new media environment by becoming “curators” of links, emphasizing transparency in news-gathering, using social media, and mixing reporting with impassioned commentary.

So-called “content aggregators,” such as the Huffington Post or Google News, work by gathering useful news and information from other sources into one place, making it easier for readers to find what they are looking for. Many journalists have tweaked this formula by becoming “content curators,” providing daily links to the best reporting while providing their own commentary.
Some advocates of the new media have called transparency “the new objectivity.” Journalists who strive to be transparent show their readers the basis for their stories as they develop, including links to primary source documents, updates as new information becomes available, and media such as video clips and sound recordings that are part of the story. The purpose is to allow readers to make up their own minds about the key facts and events being reported.
Social media websites such as Facebook, Google+, and Twitter allow for a constantly updated stream of news and commentary. Many reporters are using these sites to reach customizable audiences with short pieces commenting on events or linking to content. Social media allows journalists to expand their footprint beyond their newspaper, while drawing readers back to their paper’s website.
Blogging is generally a mix of opinion, analysis and reporting, with the blogger writing from a clearly defined and transparently presented ideological perspective. Many journalists have adopted parts of this style, minimizing traditional objectivity in favor of a definite perspective that encompasses their motivation in pursuing the story, their universe of influences and interlocutors, and their social and political view.

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