The rise of digital journalism in the United States and around the world is changing more than just the nature of the journalism that we consume. It is fundamentally changing who is responsible for, and capable of, producing and distributing the news. In the United States, the emergence of digital journalism is challenging a long dominant monopoly on news media and bringing a wider range of news sources to the public. And abroad, “citizen journalism” is allowing stories that would otherwise be inaccessible or of no interest to traditional media to be told. As such, the emergence of digital journalism should be considered a good thing, as it brings competition and diversity to unchallenged media monopolies and sheds light those whose struggles may not be told to the world by traditional journalism.
Digital journalism disrupts media monopolies
The rise of digital journalism in the United States is not only changing what we consider to be news, but also who is responsible for producing it. Over the past few decades, media and news in the United States has been subject to massive consolidation. In 1983, 50 different companies owned 90% of American media. Yet by 2011, just six companies owned that same 90% share of the media – Comcast, News-Corp, Disney, Viacom, Time Warner, and CBS. As things currently stand, journalism in the United States is a collection of monopolies that have the power to dictate exactly what content the public is, or is not, exposed to. In the words of prominent journalism figure Dan Rather, “the consolidation of power in a small number of media companies has hurt the search for the truth in newsrooms across the country. As media conglomerates get bigger, the gap between newsrooms and boardrooms grows, and the goal becomes satisfying shareholders, not citizens.” The current status quo for media and journalism allows for the decisions of a few, which are often not grounded in a desire for journalistic integrity, to censor the truth in the news that the many are exposed to. The rise of digital journalism challenges this unethical system of monopolies.
The development of the online world and the explosion of internet users over the past few decades has also allowed a number of new companies to challenge the media market domination enjoyed by the ‘big six.’ Companies specializing in digital journalism like Buzzfeed and the Huffington Post are starting to enjoy a greater share of the journalism market. In January of 2014 for example, the Huffington Post attracted around 90 million online readers and Buzzfeed attracted just under 60 million. Compared to the 30 million online readers of the Wall Street Journal (which is owned by News Corp – one of the ‘big six’), it is clear that digital journalism is beginning to destabilize the consolidated media conglomerates that currently dominate journalism in the United States. Furthermore, it appears that this shift away from traditional journalism is set to continue. A recent report from Harvard University’s Nieman Foundation revealed that the four most popular news sites amongst millennials were Wired, Slate, Buzzfeed and Vice, with between 44 and 55% of all unique visitors aged between 18 and 34. In comparison, the fractions of millennials making up the online readership of traditional news sources like MSNBC, CNN and Fox News were just 34%, 33% and 30% respectively. The next generation of news consumers is digitally oriented and if traditional journalistic institutions are to survive, they “must evolve, and quickly… over the coming decades.”
The development of the online world and the explosion of internet users over the past few decades has also allowed a number of new companies to challenge the media market domination enjoyed by the ‘big six.’ Companies specializing in digital journalism like Buzzfeed and the Huffington Post are starting to enjoy a greater share of the journalism market. In January of 2014 for example, the Huffington Post attracted around 90 million online readers and Buzzfeed attracted just under 60 million. Compared to the 30 million online readers of the Wall Street Journal (which is owned by News Corp – one of the ‘big six’), it is clear that digital journalism is beginning to destabilize the consolidated media conglomerates that currently dominate journalism in the United States. Furthermore, it appears that this shift away from traditional journalism is set to continue. A recent report from Harvard University’s Nieman Foundation revealed that the four most popular news sites amongst millennials were Wired, Slate, Buzzfeed and Vice, with between 44 and 55% of all unique visitors aged between 18 and 34. In comparison, the fractions of millennials making up the online readership of traditional news sources like MSNBC, CNN and Fox News were just 34%, 33% and 30% respectively. The next generation of news consumers is digitally oriented and if traditional journalistic institutions are to survive, they “must evolve, and quickly… over the coming decades.”
Digital journalism allows for insightful "citizen Journalism"
In addition to challenging the existing monopoly on media in journalism in the United States, the rise of digital journalism has allowed for the emergence of what some are calling “citizen journalism.” Technology is now allowing ‘ordinary’ people with no journalistic training to expose events happening around the world that may be too dangerous to cover with the traditional method of deploying a trained journalist to the scene. This phenomenon is observable in the work of British investigative blogger Eliot Higgins, who since 2011, has aggregated photos, videos, and eyewitness accounts of conflicts in Syria. His work allowed New York Times writer C. J. Chivers to confirm that the Syrian government was using banned weapons against its citizens. More recently, Higgins’ efforts to create a database of military vehicle sightings, alongside photos and videos of blast craters and other violence has also provided strong evidence to suggest that Russia has been firing missiles into Ukraine – allegations repeatedly denied by the Russian government.
Citizen journalism is also providing a voice to those who would otherwise go unspoken for by traditional journalism. Through social media sites like Twitter and Facebook, oppressed individuals are able to shed light on events that may otherwise be ignored by traditional media. An example of this can be seen in the Complexo do Alemão favela of Rio de Janerio. Police violence and mysterious disappearances are not uncommon in this 700 acre slum, yet these events go largely ignored by the Brazilian media. However, a group of citizens calling themselves “Papo Reto” – meaning ‘straight talk’ – have since banded together with the goal of documenting police violence and brutality on cellphone cameras. Not only is this documentation of great interest to the people of Complexo do Alemão, it has also attracted the attention of Witness, a human rights group dedicated to supporting individuals using video to fight for their human rights, as well as the The New York Times Magazine. As the transition from traditional journalism to digital journalism gathers momentum, we will likely see more cases of citizen journalism shedding light on stories that traditional forms of media might elect to keep in the dark.
Citizen journalism is also providing a voice to those who would otherwise go unspoken for by traditional journalism. Through social media sites like Twitter and Facebook, oppressed individuals are able to shed light on events that may otherwise be ignored by traditional media. An example of this can be seen in the Complexo do Alemão favela of Rio de Janerio. Police violence and mysterious disappearances are not uncommon in this 700 acre slum, yet these events go largely ignored by the Brazilian media. However, a group of citizens calling themselves “Papo Reto” – meaning ‘straight talk’ – have since banded together with the goal of documenting police violence and brutality on cellphone cameras. Not only is this documentation of great interest to the people of Complexo do Alemão, it has also attracted the attention of Witness, a human rights group dedicated to supporting individuals using video to fight for their human rights, as well as the The New York Times Magazine. As the transition from traditional journalism to digital journalism gathers momentum, we will likely see more cases of citizen journalism shedding light on stories that traditional forms of media might elect to keep in the dark.