Article: Newspaper Journalism vs Digital Journalism

Tom Stoppard, a British playwright, and screenwriter, once said:
I still believe that if your aim is to change the world, then journalism is a more immediate short-term weapon.

That's true, and if it were not for journalists then we would never know what was happening in the world or maybe in our town.

In this article, we will compare newspaper journalism and digital journalism to conclude which one is better.

Image Credit: artisteer/Getty Images and phive2015/Adobe Stock

Newspaper is undoubtedly the oldest method that was used to share information with people. In earlier times, it was not a daily routine for publishers to print a newspaper. It would be published only when an important political or social announcement was required to be made. It would also include announcements related to a battle, a disaster, or a public celebration.

The sharing of information became a necessity when humans started to get more educated and government formation became one of the main concerns for every country. This led to the digital expansion of traditional journalism.

Every established publisher looked at the internet as a new opportunity to reach a wider network. The expansion was also boosted by low distribution costs. A writer would write and an editor would make necessary corrections before publishing it. There was no need to send it to a distributor and ask him/her to distribute it to every household.

Both, newspaper journalism and digital journalism, have pros and cons. Let's find out what they are.

Comparison

1. Believability and Accuracy
   According to a study conducted by Burton Speakman, an Assistant Professor at Kennesaw State University, a piece of news published in a newspaper is more accurate as compared to the one that is shared on digital platforms. The study also concludes that people tend to believe the news that is published on the internet more irrespective of how accurate it is.
   
   People who participated in the study said that they found newspapers more accurate because of the facts that were stated. Digital publishers, on the other hand, focus on sharing news in the best way possible without stating any fact and sometimes even a source.
   
   The study was conducted in 2011 and two hundred people participated in it. The study is still relevant even though it was conducted ten years ago.
   
   
2. Length, Retention, and SEO
   The Arkansas State University has compared newspaper and digital journalism based on three points.
   
   
   • The first point is related to the length of news. Writers of a newspaper enjoy more freedom when it comes to how long the news can be while digital writers do not enjoy this privilege. According to a study conducted by the university, people spend an average of two minutes on the internet to read the news. This poses a great challenge and digital journalists have to be more creative to retain their readers.
     
     
   • This takes us to the second point: retention. It is easy for a newspaper journalist to retain his/her reader. It is difficult for a digital journalist to retain his/her reader. An advertisement or a similar suggested article often distracts a reader while reading the news on the internet. Many people click on an advertisement that redirects them to another website and they never come back to the article. A suggested article too distracts a reader who, out of curiosity, may click on it and never come back to the previous article.
     
     
   • Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the key if anyone wants to generate traffic for his/her website. This is not the case with a newspaper. A digital journalist has to use relevant keywords for sufficient times if he/she wants to rank his/her website higher on a search engine and be found by a reader. Whereas a newspaper journalist only has to use a good headline along with an effective distribution system to get the attention of a reader.
   
   
3. Debates and Discussions
   It is said that newspaper journalism generates discussion while digital journalism generates debates.
   
   When someone reads a newspaper, he/she talks about it with someone they know like a family member, a relative, a friend, or a colleague. There is a chance that this may turn into a heated argument but this chance is very low as compared to what digital journalism does.
   
   The internet connects loved ones who live far from each other but it also connects strangers.
   
   Digital writers publish their content on the internet with comment features enabled to generate engagement. People read and share their opinion in the comment section. These opinions differ from one person to another and this leads to a heated argument. A heated argument also initiates because the other person misunderstands the tone - a common limitation of written communication.
   
   A suggestion at this point: Read and discuss with people who would positively contribute to the topic of your interest.
   
   
4. Getting it right
   Newspaper journalists aim to get the news right while digital journalists aim to get it out as fast as possible. Anybody can commit a mistake. The chances of committing a mistake are higher when it comes to digital journalism. This has started to decrease since digital journalists have expanded their sources and verify the information before publishing it.
   
   People, however, continue to trust newspaper journalism more than digital journalism.
   
   Many volunteers who create their social media accounts/pages are also the ones to contribute to this. They take up the responsibility of a journalist to share information. This information has, on many occasions, turned out to be fake.
   
   
5. Time to set-up
   Newspaper journalism demands time, effort, and a huge team to publish a paper every day. Digital journalism, on the other hand, demands only efforts. It is a possibility that a team of two people runs a single social media account/page every day. It does not matter how many people are involved in running a social media account/page till the time people continue to get the content.
   

Conclusion

With the increase in consumption of the internet, digital journalism threatens the existence of newspapers. People love it when they read something on the internet. Digital journalism benefits everybody as information spreads faster and media companies are making sure that they are as accurate as possible.

"Schools and colleges will remain closed for seven days due to an emergency in the country."

Imagine getting this information on a day before you have to dress up your children for school instead of reading about it in the newspaper when your children are ready and waiting for the school bus.

It gives you a sense of comfort, doesn't it?

Both the mediums have their pros and cons. It is better to read as much as you can and focus on facts instead of getting distracted by a useless rumor.

One question that remains is: will both co-exist in the future?

Leave a reply in the comment section and let me know what you think.

That is all for this topic.

If you have anything to contribute then kindly share it in the comment section. I would love to hear from you.

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