1What is online journalism? - Ayo Menulis FISIP UAJY

The core journalism 45
about a lot. If you do not, you will not only waste large amounts of
time fumbling your way through any story, but you will also miss
stories because you will not understand their significance within
the context of the structures of that particular organization.
Knowledge of such structures and systems can take you quickly
and simply to authoritative sources for further information and
interviews. Without it, you look and behave like a rank amateur.
Talk of structures and systems is anathema to some journalists.
It smacks of ‘journalism by numbers’ – a joyless world where
personal contacts, panache and rat-like cunning are replaced by
procedure, spokespeople and bureaucracy. This is a fallacy.
Knowing structures and being able to think laterally are not
mutually exclusive. In fact, they are mutually dependent. If you
want to keep off the beaten path, it helps to know where the
beaten path is.
It is also a fallacy that structures only inhabit the mainstream.
Every culture and organization has some form of loose structure,
the inter-relationship of its key constituents and components.
Before daring to venture into a piece about dance music, the
40-year-old reporter had better understand the relationship, if any,
between hip hop, jungle, house music and rap, if he or she wishes
to retain a shred of credibility with any younger readers. Equally,
a knowledge of balance sheets and stock markets is now helpful
for sports reporters, given the rapid development of sport into one
of the biggest businesses. Everywhere you look, you see
structures and systems. You ignore them at your peril.
The representative view
As has been seen, understanding structures can lead you quickly
and simply to authoritative sources. But what are these sources
and why are they important?
Extrapolation is a favourite pastime of journalism students on
their first assignments. They often interview two or three students
(usually their flatmates) on an issue such as the standard of
university accommodation and then write a piece that starts
‘Students are up in arms about . . .’. They paint a picture of
students across a campus, united in a common cause. Never mind