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Check out my very first podcast!!

Being a student these days is challenging. Being a student in their forties these days is downright confusing. Hashtags and hyperlinks and something called Snapchat ... its enough to make my hairline recede even further.

Has technology and social media made becoming a journalist for someone in their 40's an insurmountable task? Can our thoughts and ideas really be summed up in 140 characters??

Click on the link below and have a listen!

Sadism and Soundtracks and Online Tracking

Image from alphr.com

So, it was a weekend filled with entertainment. It started by watching the latest Fifty Shades of Grey film (please don't judge) and ended with the 59^th Grammy Awards. That many musicians, celebrities and handcuffs in one weekend was sure to get my brain fired up.

It's the start of a new week and time to think again about the wonderful, yet evolving, world of online journalism. 

The way we consume news is changing. Last week, this blog touched on the slow departure from the traditional evening news, for example. Smartphones and tablets are replacing the television as the primary news source. The news media is quickly following this consumer trend. In fact, they are also following the consumers themselves.

Let’s talk metrics for a bit. Tracking how news is now consumed, who is consuming it and how actively they do it is what metrics are all about. In the race to engage the public, understanding the psychology of the news consumer is crucial.

In this regard, online news services could learn a thing or two from the latest Fifty Shades movies. Before you laugh, give this analogy a chance.

The Fifty Shades films have been far from critically-acclaimed. So why did people pay hard earned money to see such a badly reviewed film? They did it because the film appealed to them. It found its audience and tapped into something that resonated with it. The results were profitable.

This is precisely what metrics do and why media sources are paying a lot of attention to them. The news can now be tailored to meet the needs of the public and its all done in attempts to turn them into loyal followers. The sites we visit, the stories we spend the most time reading and so on can be tracked and used to create news that is competitive and captivating. After all, the bigger the audience, the bigger the profits.

Big Brother is watching us but is it necessarily a bad thing?

Lets think about the Grammy Awards. The last few years have seen the ratings for this show plummet. This year, some major recording artists didn't even bother attending. Some say the show is out of touch with the public and what they want from the show. The result is evident in the viewership. If only the show producers could tap into what the viewers actually wanted. See where I'm going with this?

So, if a news site knows what the public wants and relates to, then it can offer just that. It could result in a greater engagement with the public. Then again, it could mean less quality news and more adorable kitten and puppy videos. The pressure is on then for editors to ensure a balance with what the public 'wants' and what it 'needs'.

What do you think? 

The Kids are Killing the Evening News.

I grew up watching the local evening news. It’s when the family would gather for dinner and talk about the day. It’s how I learned about places and people in Newfoundland. It’s how I learned to obsess about the weather. In a strange way, it became part of my childhood and my culture.

Things have changed a bit since then.

No one has time to sit and eat anymore. We certainly don’t have time to actually sit for the news. Why would we when we can grab the latest breaking headlines right on our phones?

Recent studies show that about 38 percent of Canadians get their news primarily from social media. For Americans, a staggering 62 percent hop online to get theirs. (https://techcrunch.com/2016/05/26/most-people-get-their-news-from-social-media-says-report/)

Couple these statistics with the recent CRTC ruling that cable providers must offer an affordable $25 base package to consumers, and its not surprising that our trusted news anchors are probably updating their resumes as I type. (http://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/new-cable-unbundling-will-hurt-canadian-tv-production-predicts-new-report)

Millennials probably wont lose much sleep over this. After all, they are the ones consuming the most online news. But lets not forget those of us a bit more ‘seasoned’ that aren’t chained to our phones or tablets. Lest we forget those that still have no idea what a hashtag is.

If reports are true and Canadians lose a large number of local broadcasts, where do the less tech savvy citizens get their information? Sure, they could get with the times and hop online like everyone else. But what if they don’t have access to internet services? What if home is a remote community that receives little to no internet signal at all?

When considering those questions, the potential loss of the local news broadcast seems a bit more profound.

News providers are governed by metrics and revenues like any other business. If more and more people are tuning out its only a matter of time before advertisers do the same. It’s already happening as we see local news hours downsizing to just 30 minute broadcasts.

Now, this blog post is NOT a call to action. I’m not saying we should drop our phones and find the couch every evening. Let’s face it, that will never happen. However, as our aging Newfoundland population is replaced by younger generations raised online, it does leave the fate of the traditional evening news in peril. That’s a concern for me.

I watched the Berlin Wall fall with my family. I was riveted, along with my roommates, with the breaking news of the death of Princess Diana. We shared these moments in history and reacted to them together. We developed our opinions about these events and others around the world because of these interactions.

I just don’t know if that can happen to the same degree in a Facebook post or 140 character tweet.

What do you think? Lets talk.

Removing Online Comments: Cleaning It Up or Shutting It Up?

Children should be seen and not heard. That’s one of my least favorite expressions. However, there are a few grownups that should follow that rule.

I was recently at a party discussing U.S. politics (not by choice). A gentleman was making some astounding comments and it took everything in my power to not blurt out, ‘Who invited you??’

Despite that, it did fuel a great conversation and an even greater debate. I may not have agreed with what that man was saying, but I respected his right to voice his ideas and loved the dialogue is created. The ability to openly discuss ideas and comment on those of others is an important thing.

So when I started reading about some well-known media sites disabling their comments section, it made me feel a little uneasy.

In response to increases in the negative commentary from online trolls, the Chicago-Sun Times, Reuters and Vice, just to name a few, have taken away the chance for public commentary on news stories. They have opted to leave such dialogue to the vast world of social media. The idea here is that the removal of comment sections rules out the chance for anonymous trolls to spread hate. Less hate and negativity online would be a welcome trend, for sure.

What's concerning, however, is that such a move could also stifle public conversation. There’s little room for debate that the internet needs to be cleaned up. The work of these anonymous online trolls does detract from quality dialogue. However, by silencing the voice of trolls don't we also run the risk of silencing our own?

I’m a student journalist and I’m proud to be the city editor of a student generated news webpage (and radio broadcast) called Kicker. We rely on the public to read and share our stories and get our messages out. We also rely on comments about each of our stories to help us as we grow into professional journalists and to keep us on track on what content to include in future stories. Our interaction with the public is essential.

Kicker has decided to moderate its comments and as such filter out the work of trolls. This allows the public to have a voice in what we write and play an active role in the news we provide, without fear of anonymous attack.

It allows the essential conversation and exchange of ideas to continue.

Isn’t that the point of journalism?

What do YOU think? Feel free to comment below:)

Welcome to my very first blog!!

I'm a 42 year-old journalism student and admit that I know very little about blogging. However, that will all change.

My first 6 posts will focus on elements of online journalism. After all, this blog is part of my course requirements for school. However, as we grow and learn about each other, it will evolve and consider life beyond my Online Journalism curriculum.

One promise, though, is that I will NOT write posts about U.S. politics or the ongoing saga of the Trump administration. I'm not criticizing those that will write about it but I feel I would have little to add to that exhaustive discussion (unless I'm directed to do so by my instructor, in which case I will admit that I lied and beg your forgiveness).

My main goal here is to have a conversation with those that follow my blog. Please feel free to comment on my posts or offer ideas for future posts. Like I say, we're in this together and unlike my previous relationships, I really need this one to work.

Hope you enjoy Martin Reports The News!

-Martin