Changing News Media: Writing for the Web

News media has evolved from print journalism toward a more Internet savvy means of distributing information.

Even veteran print journalists like Morgan Josey Glover are changing their ways by adapting to a more Web-based new media. Approximately 90 percent of what she writes is for the Web, and most of it is in real time.

Glover explains that with journalism for the Web, the public gains access to information much more quickly. In print journalism, news stories have to wait until the editor thinks the paper needs it. They may hold onto a story for a few days.

“As long as I’m providing quality information that’s accurate and not incomplete, I’m going to put it out there,” Glover, the content manager for www.gogreentriad.com, said.

Blogs are a key part of the Internet’s distribution of information.

Ph.D. student Bethany Keeley has become the brains behind one of the most popular blogs on the Web today. Though working toward a master’s degree in speech communication, Keeley’s self-described “side-hobby” can earn her up to $500 dollars a month.

Both Keeley and Glover agree on the role that blogs play in news media.

“I see blogs as a reactive medium to connect people with the original reporting,” Keeley said. She describes her blog as solely editorial based because she does not do any real reporting.

Glover agrees that one of the main purposes of a blog is to point people toward information already on the Web. When covering an event, Glover will leave a hyperlink to the organization’s Web site.

Glover and Keeley contribute very different information through their Web sites to distinct and specific audiences. However, both believe that the Internet is the future of news media.

“It’s beneficial to the reporter to get the information out as quick as possible. Knowing how to use audio and other media is more important for Web than it is for print,” Glover said. “A journalist today needs to know how to do all those things and translate the information in any way.”

You can visit Glover and Keeley’s Web sites at www.gogreentriad.com and www.unnecessaryquotes.com.