Navigating journalism in the digital age

Recent years have seen a major shift in how the public consumes news. Small, local print newspapers are increasingly being put out of business by larger organizations that can reach a broader audience online. ​The New York Times, for example, a larger newspaper, which was once mostly for New Yorkers, now has readers all over the globe. Large corporations such as Google are starting to capitalize on the shifts towards the digital world. One such effort is the Google News Initiative, whose main goal is to build a stronger future for journalism, elevate the quality of journalism, and evolve business models to drive sustainable growth in the future.

Thanos Dimadis of the Association of Foreign Press Correspondents recently spoke with four members of this initiative from around the world: Loes Witschge (Netherlands), Mary Nahorniak (United States), Trinna Leong (Malaysia), and José Heinz (Argentina). The session, which ran a little over an hour, included important information for journalists navigating the shifting sands of technological advancement. Here are some points that emerged.

 There are a lot of programs to choose from

 Journalists have a wide array of resources available to them to make their stories more engaging, palatable, and informative. Tools include Google Trends, Flourish, Pinpoint, and My Maps, which all use a form of visual media to give articles a creative flair. Interactive maps, graphs that show change over time, and charts with polling data are just some of the options. The teaching fellows emphasized throughout the program the array of options and how there is a program that will fit almost every type of story. These are great resources to make your story outstanding.   

 They are easy to use

 The rise of these new programs raises questions of how available they are to journalists, especially those lacking a technological background. The answer is that these programs are extremely easy to learn and use regularly. Google offers helpful training sessions that are all free and short, between five and ten minutes in length. Even without the training, these programs are intuitive and designed for those who are not necessarily tech-savvy. They were especially created with small newsrooms and freelancers in mind, who might not have a dedicated graphic design team. Indeed, for smaller operations, these programs can help a story stand out.

The use of these programs is, without a doubt, the future of reporting. Our society is becoming increasingly driven by digital media, and as a result, journalists need to quickly get their point across. Consumers are constantly bombarded by information through social media, YouTube, and other websites, becoming desensitized to this onslaught of information. However, to the average consumer, visual media stands out and makes the story more approachable. While many journalists who have been raised in the text-only era may be reluctant to transition towards interactive media, it is simply a necessity.

 The Google News Initiative team concluded their session with some concise practical tips about the future of interactive programming in reporting. Witschge emphasized the importance for foreign correspondents to stay up to date on the latest trends without wasting too much time learning the finer details when this time could be better spent elsewhere. Efficiency is key. As newsrooms adapt to the changing times, the entire industry of reporting will see growth, aided by initiatives such as that of Google.