After watching "Covering a Virtual World" on the Second Life Cable Network, I received a better grasp of what it exactly is to cover news and events in-world and the differences that are between “real-world” journalism and journalism in the metaverse. The report takes viewers into the daily lives of journalists and their in-world experiences.
Cybergrrl Oh, a real-world business writer with newspaper experience addressed the topic of income she receives doing in-world stories. She discusses the terrible pay she receives but also says that the news covered in-world is just as accurate as the real-world news coverage. So this “slightly paid hobby”, as she describes it, may be extremely beneficial in the long run.
Sourcing may be another downfall to covering news in Second Life. 57mile, another journalist from the report, discussed how big of a role that word of mouth played in sourcing. Finding sources and stories can be very difficult because the reporter has to continuously build a large network of friends and join many in-world groups.
In-world news is a great way to reach the people that are in Second Life. There are many benefits from covering news in-world. Journalists may connect with a large in-world audience and do it in an easier way. The pay is not the greatest, but it makes a journalists job a little bit simpler and most importantly, cheaper. Being able to “teleport” to your source instead of maxing out your credit cards to travel a thousand miles to talk to your source may make up for the lack of pay you are receiving.