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November 17, 2005
Print Journalism vs. Online Journalism
I was surprised at the huge debate that came about during the discussion of mine and Jenna's presentations. I would have to say that online journalism isn't always bad. One must realize, BEFORE they begin reading a piece of online journalism, how credible the source really is. Not all people are bad and out to the nothing but lies.
The next point is...we can't say that all online journalism is bad because there are the print newspapers who also make their articles available online. These of course are just as credible as the print version.
What we must watch out for is the online forums and blogs where people go just to have their voice heard, usually without any prior education on the matter.
Finally, as Nancy pointed out in class, some professors refuse to accept papers that have online sources. Credibility of the sources is part of the reason for this. The point that I am trying to make with this is that I had a professor here at Seton Hill, who told the class that if we were using online sources, they must come from a .edu site. Now...the Seton Hill Blogs are located at a .edu site, so could I have used these for my paper. OF COURSE NOT! They would be just as credible as a .com site, maybe even less.
I like the point that Denamarie makes on her blog..."Online journalism is made by anyone who has a blog or knows how to work a computer."
As consumers of news, this is what we must watch out for...don't let the average person try to form your opinion on a given subject.
Posted by AshleeLupchinsky at November 17, 2005 11:58 AM
Comments
I think another difference between print and online journalism is subject matter. I've found that online journalists are more willing to tackle issues that their print counterparts too often ignore. For instance, there's some great work being done on various web sites regarding the shocking rise in pumpkin attacks. If the local print media would follow their online brethren, perhaps we'd finally see an end to crimes involving large produce.
Posted by: Michael Dell at November 17, 2005 03:40 PM
Ashlee, I agree that it is okay to use online sources if you can guarantee they are reliable. In my Nutrition for Life class I received a checklist of ways to dtermine whther or not to use an online source. It is called the CARS checklist, and I have higlighted soem of the guidlines below.
C- CREDIBILITY
This refers to whether or not the author or organization providing the information has the proper credentials. Examples of a site lacking credibility would be one with no posted author, misspelled words, or bad grammar.
A- ACCURACY
Any information you find on a site should be factual, current, and comprehensive. If you are not seeing both sides to a story, then the author is not presenting the complete story. Also, you should be able to find dates for the information and the information should not be out-dated. A reliable source should have frequent updates that are listed somewhere on the site.
R- REASONABLENESS
The information provided on the site should be fair, balanced, and consistent. You should make sure that there is enough evidence to support any claims that are made, and once again make sure both sides of an argument are shown. Make sure the author is not biased or have a conflict of interest. You should be leery of any gross generalizations or outlandish claims. An example might be an article that claims something is the "cure" for Cancer.
S- SUPPORT
The site should contain supporting documentation such as a works cited list. Make sure you can be positive of where the information is coming from.
(All information came from the book Personal Nutrition by Marie Boyle and Sara Anderson)
I hope these suggestions are helpful!
Posted by: Jenna O'Brocto at November 30, 2005 07:13 PM
Yes, that's very helpful, Jenna. Oddly enough, I also have a journalism checklist of my own. And I remember it with the clever acronym CHIMP. The C stands for Credibility. The H stands for Honesty. The I stands for Integrity. The M stands for... aw, who am I kidding? I just like thinking about chimps. Monkeys make me smile.
By the way, Ashlee, have you ever considered spelling your last name with an I instead of a U? I hear it's all the rage. You should give it a whirl.
Posted by: Michael Dell at December 1, 2005 02:12 AM
Thank you for the acronym Jenna. It will be very helpful when choosing online sources. As future educators, I think that we need to take the issue of online credibility very seriously. We don't want to bring something into our classrooms that isn't credible.
Posted by: Ashlee at December 2, 2005 08:21 AM