Inquiry Rough Draft

         As the power of technology grows, information has become not only easier to spread, but has also become more generally accessible. Anyone who seeks news from any part of the world can easily find it on the internet. Previously, the most common form of information distribution was through newspapers, printed in large quantities and sold for small fees. Now newspapers are having to make their way on to the internet, printing less in favor for online subscriptions to digital copies of their productions. This practice has caused a general shift from less physical productions of media to more web based publications, as brought to attention by Ira H. Fuchs, author of the article “Prospects and Possibilities of the Digital Age.” Also, the practice of keeping full time journalists and photographers on staff has declined in favor of purchasing mostly freelance materials, as addressed by Julianne H. Newton in her book The Burden of Visual Truth: The Role of Photojournalism in Mediating Reality. This has been done to mostly cut down on costs, but some wonder if it could potentially lead to a decrease in credibility. There has also been a question as to whether this change in how media is presented is something that needs to be done, or if this could potentially lead to misinformed stories.

            In terms of changes in media presentation, those who are for them, such as Fuchs, see the advantages to having the bulk of news distribution online. A great amount of people have internet access readily available to them and those that don’t always have the option of going to public libraries funded in the interest of keeping the masses informed. It is also a cleaner and more cost effective way to have news distributed, with less paper and ink having to be used in order to form printed copies. The largest advantage to this, however, is the speed at which information can be spread. Within minutes of an event, details of what happened can be found readily available from anywhere. Proponents of this, such as Newton, however, see that having a completely online basis for information distribution has its draw backs. For one, the general increase in newspapers requiring an online subscription in order to operate is actually causing these newspapers to financially come into some problems. Because many people are not so willing to pay to electronically read the paper, many would rather seek out a source that remains free but also contains the same information. In turn, the newspaper who sought to remain current has essentially harmed itself with less sales in physical copies simply because they are not being produced and also losing money by running a site for profit and not receiving as many subscriptions.  Eventually, with the decrease of physical distribution there won’t be free ources online and internet access will be required to get much news at all, counteracting the good intentions of spreading information through digital means.

            Other than issues with the spread of news, how the information is acquired and subsequently presented in a written and visual sense is also changing with a greater demand for freelance work and less full time paid staff. For those who view this as an advantage, economically this can make a great deal of sense. News sources pay a small amount for one specific piece from someone who is an amateur photographer or freelance writer who will gladly accept the deal and the job gets done without having to provide a steady salary or benefits to someone else who is on the payroll. This makes it cost less to provide that information to the masses and potentially allows for more news to be covered because the price of one piece is less in this form than from someone on staff.

            For those who disagree with this practice, price is something that should be of minimal concern. . Journalists are trained to be able to present information truthfully with the least amount of bias as possible and know how to check their sources effectively to make sure that everything has remained accurate. Photojournalists know how to use equipment to their advantage and know how to tell an accurate story through their pictures without skewing the scene to look a certain way that may give the wrong impression of what actually happened. If measures are not put in check to make sure that all submitted material are accurate, a practice that was supposed to save money will just end up costing a great deal.

            With the issue of how media is changing and how news sources are responding to it, the two sides of the argument both bring to the surface interesting points of debate and bring forth many questions as to how they should be handled. Some things to be considered are whether or not fully making news a digital endeavor is beneficial or if using amateur photographers and freelance journalists only is a responsible decision. In terms of further inquiry, I feel that looking more towards the benefits of printed media could reveal some interesting new questions as to how news should be handled. Personally, I feel that the immersion of media in the digital age can be a great thing, but everything must remain as credible as possible, meaning that having a fully trained staff would be the best route to take. The most important thing is that the news that is so readily presented through the internet needs to stay in the hands of those trained to handle it. Without that security, no one will ever know the real truths of the worlds happenings.