What is Online journalism?

Online journalism is a contemporary form of journalism where editorial content is distributed via the Internet. Here the primary product of journalism, which is news and features on current affairs, is presented solely or in combination as text, audio, video and some interactive forms, and disseminated through digital media platforms. It is also called digital journalism.

Fewer barriers to entry, lowered distribution costs, and diverse computer networking technologies have led to the widespread practice of online journalism. It has democratized the flow of information that was previously controlled by print media including newspapers, magazines, radio, and television. The digital aspect may be central to the journalistic message and remains, to some extent, within the creative control of the writer, editor, and/or publisher.

Before the Internet, spontaneous discussion between readers who had never met was impossible. The process of discussing a news item is a big portion of what makes for online journalism. People add to the story and connect with other people who want to discuss the topic. Online journalism opens up new ways of storytelling; through the technical components of the new medium, digital journalists can provide a variety of media, such as audio, video, and digital photography.

Online journalism represents a revolution of how news is consumed by society. Online sources are able to provide quick, efficient, and accurate reporting of breaking news in a matter of seconds, providing society with a synopsis of events as they occur. Throughout the development of the event, journalists are able to feed online sources the information keeping readers up-to-date in mere seconds. The speed in which a story can be posted can affect the accuracy of the reporting in a way that doesn’t usually happen in print journalism. Before the emergence of online journalism the printing process took much more time, allowing for the discovery and correction of errors.