No one can argue that we are currently in an incredibly fast paced “media revolution”, but what does that mean for traditional means of gathering and spreading information? Traditional forms of media always thrived on the scarcity of information and their ability to gather it, compile it, and distribute it. When social tools came to the scene in the early 2000’s the world of traditional media was shaken at its core. Every Joe Schmo could become a “citizen journalist”. More information was made available faster and traditional media needed to adapt or be left in the digital dust. Many mainstream media outlets quickly embraced the idea of utilizing social tools. CNN started up a program called ireport which allowed users to upload footage of news stories that they reported on. With the addition of twitter into the social marketplace we could get news literally within seconds of it happening. Reports and citizens on the scene could report details at speeds not available before. However, with this speed comes a greater risk for inaccuracy. Journalists need to verify facts before letter their fingers fly on their smart phone. Zombie Journalism provides this checklist for journalists using social media.
The game has changed, but traditional forms of media are adapting and integrating the new social experience into the way they’ve always delivered the story.
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Ry Bay 