After reading this article by the ABC's Mark Scott, I was prompted to write a 'journal entry' in response, outlining where I get my news, why before discussing my views on the article. The Fall of Rome: Media After Empire is relevant right now so read it here! This was for my Advanced Broadcast Journalism unit but I feel it sufficiently reflects my views on the changing landscape of print/online news as well as provide an idea of the sort of news/media I choose to consume.

Journal Entry #1 - 11th February 2010
I choose to get my news mostly from ABC and SBS, the Canberra Times and occasionally the Australian. I tune into the SBS World News as well as ABC’s evening bulletin when is possible, my parents record both which is useful to me with my busy schedule (though said busy schedule often makes finding time to watch said recordings difficult). The medium I prefer (both for my career prospects and as a media outlet) however is radio – I wake up to ABC’s FM103.9 daily, which is a news service I have only recently started listening to. Its’ continuous service offers a fantastic alternative to other radio news channels who rely on ‘features’ to fill air time, which I often found was directed at an older audience. The array of world news programs on FM103.9 at various times of the day & week are another reason I choose to tune in – from deutschevelle, BBC and NBC programming I find that turning on the radio at any time will bring interesting news stories that have been put together by media outlets similar to the ABC or SBS, with relevance, depth, research, eloquence and interest. In fact, it is 103.9 spurring my own desire to get into radio broadcast! I very much am looking forward to ABC’s new continuous television news channel and am hoping it is similar to 103.9 in its content as it will mean more convenience for me in terms of soaking up more media content.

I found Mark Scott’s speech to be interesting, informative and also progressive. My personal feelings were an initial pride that Australia’s public broadcaster was so in tune, had come at the issue of a changing media landscape so openly and laterally and offered solutions that didn’t involve the ever growing dollar (at least at face value). Being that I choose to primarily consume news from the ABC it was a relief to find that ABC’s commitment to impartial, free media will continue. Furthermore, that they see their future in the audience is not only empowering but promising – the promise of engagement, of valuing the opinions of my generation and using that to their advantage to benefit us appears to be a win-win situation. An audience-centred organisation at a time of consumers used to social media to express and share opinion seems entirely appropriate. However, I am slightly afraid that this style of media will create an anarchic media system where countless public contribution will mean relevant and professional news may get lost or lose importance so I hope that controls will be in place to prevent this. As for the future of pay-per-view news online, I can only speculate with little basis for any argument. My first reaction is that news comes in papers! Online news, in either its format or in my mind, lacks tangibility and credibility, because of the internet’s nature - Mark Scott’s words were ‘anyone can instantly publish on the web’ which I feel supports my weariness perfectly here. Further to my views on online news, again as Mark Scott said, was that it is free. It has always been free. It is free because it lacks the credibility you find when you pay $1.50 at your news agents’ for your favourite broadsheet. It is free because internet advertising revenue is booming – unwitting browsers of sites like news.com.au are lining the pockets of giants, who in turn only need to pay AAP a pittance for a story to generate more readers, who generate more revenue, and so on.
My stubbornness aside though, I believe the future of journalism lay in hands of multi-media-digital journalists who are learning skills of the trade now – aka myself and my peers. We grew up with print, Fathers who read the paper at the breakfast table every morning, grandparents who watched the news religiously every night before dinner, bus drivers whose choice in radio news programmes exposed us to the world of radio broadcast.
Finally, we are the digital generation – we make the transition from old(ish) technology to new seamlessly. We understand it, we can manipulate it and we create it. Social networking is our thing and I do not doubt that the streams of graduates last year, this year and next year will help shape the future of media until it resembles a better, digitalised version of its former self, accessible anywhere to anyone.