1What is online journalism? - Ayo Menulis FISIP UAJY

54 Journalism Online
will focus on the universal reference points of hope, fear, anger,
love and loss, and so engage that largest of all communities of
interest – you, me and the rest of the human race.
The best journalists do not put straight reporting and observational
technique in separate boxes, only to be taken out when
necessary. Both remain ‘full on’ during any interview and in any
medium. Interestingly, television can be less observational than
newspaper feature writing, partly because television is a such a
literal medium. Newspaper feature writers can interpret their
observations and interweave them with their own thoughts,
quotes from the interviewee and background research. All are
given the same status within that most flexible of mediums – the
written word.
The core journalism is not medium specific. It can be applied
across the board. However, there are additional skills, beyond the
core, that are required to collect news effectively as an online
journalist.
Broadcast interviews
Online is a multi media format. You can use text, graphics and
pictures, but also audio and video. Technical barriers, such as
bandwidth restrictions, currently limit the use of video. These will
be removed in time, but they will leave other man-made obstacles
that may be harder to dismantle.
Many current online news providers are newspaper organizations.
Their journalists are not comfortable working with audio or
video, particularly originating it. They’ve never done it before.
There is a cultural barrier. Some may just fear the unknown.
Broadcast interviews are different to text-based interviews, but
that does not mean that they are more difficult. It is just a question
of modifying technique. All of the core requirements such as
preparation, confidence and listening still apply. But there are
additional demands.
Audio
The most obvious difference with audio is that the audience
actually gets to hear the words exchanged between the journalist