Web journalism is to broadcast journalism as magazines are to say, photography. The web encompasses broadcast journalism but can offer a great deal more. Entire TV packages, entire programs may be offered online, and what's more, the web producer can archive past programs in such a way that users can access past stories to help provide context for today's story.
Also, as we've discussed, the web producer can make use of materials that were previously confined to print. Barney McCoy mentioned the limitations of the broadcast package: some of the most important stories may not be visually arresting, and so a TV package may not do them justice. But online, we can post whatever print documentation may be necessary to flesh out the story in a way that the one or two-minute package cannot.
McCoy's list of local schools' fire drill compliance provided the perfect illustration of this principle; this information was useful to every parent in the community, but would have been unwieldy in the context of a news broadcast. This way the reporter or anchor could draw parents to the station's website during the newscast. Thus both media supplement and reinforce the other.
I think our prospective website, if it is designed well, can enhance the educational and vocational opportunities for students. Broadcast students will have the chance to show the world what they can produce beyond the short package. Any worthy material they may produce that doesn't fit the rigid format of the nightly news, they can post on our site. This will give them a reason to promote the site on the newscast, it will increase the news output of KUJH, and it will expand our students' portfolios so they can demonstrate their diverse talents to employers.
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