With alternate virtual realities on the rise, sites like Second Life are at the forefront of this new online medium. New businesses and residents are being added in-world every day. This begs the question, "is journalism in-world just as acceptable and important as the real world?" BBC news and Reuters seem to believe so. Each company has purchased land within Second Life to appeal to the growing audience in the alternate reality. It is just another way to get the news to a wider audience. The good thing about Second Life is that word of mouth is huge and there is a way for journalists to build up contacts from all over the world.
Cybergrrl Oh, an in-world journalist being interviewed by SLCN, the Second Life news network, said, "There is some human interest to this and some legitimate business news to this. Is it going to change the world? I don’t know. Is it going to change in-world? I can’t say, but I, as a reader and resident, am interested in this."
There is a large enough population within Second Life that is an appeal to businesses, political candidates, and special organizations. With the addition of more people and businesses there is bound to be news that will follow. Journalists can also come in contact with every day people from all over the world with stories and information. Second Life can provide a way to gain access to this information and filter it out through different channels. When utilized correctly, Second Life can be a useful tool for news.
57 miles, another in-world journalist, said, "If it feels like news then it is news. Whether it's in-world or real world, there really isn't any difference in criteria for what is news."