1What is online journalism? - Ayo Menulis FISIP UAJY

60 Journalism Online
Select
Calling selection a ‘stage’ could give the false impression that it is
part of a sequence. In fact, many of the elements of the journalistic
process should run concurrently. For example, the journalist
should constantly be sifting through ideas from the beginning and
making selections, always guided by the paramount considerations
of what will interest, inform and have an impact on the
readership or audience.
Journalists will sometimes make the job more difficult by
delaying selection. They might follow too many leads and gather
too much information. This undermines one of the most important
responsibilities of the journalist, that is, to choose what the
reader will and will not see. The journalist cannot carry out this
function effectively if his or her mind is clouded by too much
information.
Does the journalist still have the same responsibility in the
online world, where the user is free to choose from millions of
documents, sites and sources? The answer is ‘Yes’, as:
many of the documents posted on the Web are completed
stories which will have required journalists to execute their
traditional role, selecting what to include and what to exclude;
it will often be the journalist who selects additional information
and data as part of any storytelling – again, choices will be
made; and
even when links to original sources are offered, these will have
been chosen by journalists.
Of course, if the online reader is unhappy with these choices, he
or she can seek out additional perspectives, information and
sources from the web on their own, for example, by using a search
engine. But many won’t. Instead, as Steve Yelvington said, they
will rely on the journalist to be, if not the gatekeeper, at least the
guide. And guides have to make choices.
Writing and constructing your story are two other critical
elements of the selection and presentation of news and information.
The Web remains fundamentally a text-driven medium. So
the core skills of direct writing and clear story construction are of