I do think that the definition of "news" is changing and growing. In large part, the changes that are taking place now come from the new opportunities made available by the internet.
MSNBC.com is a good example of how the internet is allowing changes to take place, at a much more rapid rate than in the past, in what we define as news. The folks at MSNBC.com have a new element of their Web site called Citizen Journalists Report. On this page, everyday web surfers are given a topic to write about and, if they choose, they may "file a report" with MSNBC.com. Then, MSNBC.com posts the comments as part of the citizen's report. Citizens can even submit pictures. This type of participatory journalism is growing everyday on the Web.
Also, on many news Web sites, journalists are allowed and encouraged to post their own blogs. Denise Hazlick's blog on MSNBC.com is a good example. Blogs have also opened the door even more for everyday people wanting to post their thoughts online. Blogs represent a way that the definition of news is changing. Everyday, more and more people are finding that reading about an average person's life is newsworthy to them.
The definition of news has never been static, but something that grows and changes with time. Seventy years ago, stories like Gwen Stefani's new hair style or P.Diddy's new pimp ride would never have been considered newsworthy (and not just because neither was alive back then), so changes should not be a surprise. But, after watching a disturbing video in class today about where the future of news could be heading, I am beginning to see how much could change and how far the news industry could go in the wrong direction.
Participatory journalism will lead to a whole industry where people decide that they don't want an objective journalist giving them the news, but instead a fellow citizen to write the news and "tell it like it is". People will like this type of journalism better because they are better able to relate to these "citizen journalists" and may even agree more with their version of events. This will become what people expect from their news and objective news will be on the brink of being a thing of the past. Instead of reading newspapers, people will check up on their favorite blogs to find out what is going on in the world. But, people will, after years of citizen journalist's reports, see the problems. People will begin to see that if there is no fact-checking, no editing, no objectivity, that their news is not really news, just gossip and fluff.
After this realization, journalists will come back into the spotlight. Journalists will become important to society again while citizens will begin to value quality and objective news like never before. Whatever obstacles we journalists have to face in the future, I trust that impartial and accurate news will always prevail in the end.
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