Disadvantages

dvantages of Digital News Media

Since a majority of readers have advanced to technology,
there are reasons why every major to small media agency
have digitized themselves. Becoming a part of our personal
lives, these major benefits of digital news media can be seen
in the following ways.

1. Information Goes Paperless

Every piece of update you receive is through electronic media
hence saving the environment. A tree flourishes for every
paper saved. With apps available for every newspaper, Media
companies can contribute to utilizing natural resources
sustainably.

2. Updates on the Go
Digital News Media allows you to select the type of news you
are into, and these updates are just a tap away. News Apps
provide you relevant content as per your preference that you
can access with ease anywhere and at any time of the day.
So, don’t worry if your newspaper guy does not show up at
times.

3. Digital Media Keeps you Socially Active

More and more users receive updates through social
platforms like Facebook and Twitter. As celebrities and
leading politicians use such platforms to deliver their
concerns, many people are influenced by what appears on
their profiles. You can share your general views about any of
the content that seems sparking.
4. Vast Employment Options
Digital News Media Benefits some professionals who are
sound with the latest technological concepts. Digital News
Platforms and forums are suitable career launch pads for
such people who can join the revolutionizing world and
influence their followers. Jobs like social media moderator,
Social Media Manager, Social Media Strategist, and Chief
Marketing Officer are some renowned profiles in the Digital
Media sector.

5. Digital Journalism
With everything moved to the digital platforms, digital
reporting or digital journalism has turned into a much easier
choice of career for many. Many Journalism Institutes have
launched digital programs to get the youngsters going with
their skills to reporting and spreading an occurrence swiftly as
it happens.

6. Journalism Options for Freelancers

According to Upwork’s "Freelancing in America Report, 2017,"
online journalism jobs have boosted to 71%. Edstrom and
Ladendorf also explained further that freelance journalism,
worldwide, is growing as a result of shrinking newsrooms.
Digital News Media benefits freelance journalists in terms of
flexibility and reduced costs as they don’t have to worry about
the setup required for reporting. Freedom of expression is
also a unique experience for freelance journalists.

7. Globalization
Thanks to the internet that enables News Media to bring
coverage to the global audience. News channels are not just
restricted to a particular now, as you can access content from
anywhere. Digital News Media removes regional restrictions
by presenting the regional events to the world expanding their
viewership.

Bonus Read: Advantages and Disadvantages of

Globalization

Disadvantages of Digital News Media

With the ease of access and instant updates come some
negative effects of Digital News Media. As a concerned
reader, you must be able to aware enough to figure out what
are the cons of digital news media of this age such as these.

1. Fabricated Content/Hoax
A sudden wave of fake news hits a wider part of global
population when circulated through digital platforms like
Facebook, Twitter, and WhatsApp. Concern about
misinformation and disinformation remains high despite efforts
by leading online journalism platforms to build public
confidence.

In Brazil, 85% agree with a statement that they are worried

about what is real and fake on the internet. The concern is
also high in the UK (70%) and the US (67%) followed by
Germany (38%) and the Netherlands (31%). Unfortunately,
there are less provisions to hold the spread of fake news
through social media apps like WhatsApp.

2. Negative Content
Accessing the internet is more convenient to everyone. It’s
easier for unscrupulous elements to spread negativity about a
particular individual or group. The spread of unfounded
rumors has led to a spate of uncivilized acts in countries like
India. Several countries have set up ‘tip lines’, appealing to
the public to flag illegal or dangerous content.

The spread of negative or hateful news often happens via

groups that are set up specifically to discuss sensitive issues.

3. Paid Subscription for Daily News

Many popular news media allow access to readers only after
a paid subscription. Paid subscriptions for daily news is
practiced majorly to contribute to revenue. Although it’s a
must-do for news media these days, many readers would
disagree with paying extra money given that there are plenty
of other news websites to get the recent news.

4. Advertising
Whether you watch your news segment online, on TV, or
through an app, you are more likely to spend time on
advertisements. Mobile Apps ask you to pay for an ad-free
version, which comes as one of the most troubling
disadvantages of digital new media these days.

5. News Overload
Apart from the leading international news channels, internet
has helped many less popular news channels to evolve at a
rapid rate. There is more news around the web circulating
through different platforms. This is rather more confusing than
to figure out what’s going on really.
Too much information partly reflects how constant news
updates and different perspectives can complicate reality. A
common complaint is that users are bombarded with multiple
versions of the same story or the same alert. The perception
of news overload is highest in the United States (40%)
followed by Denmark and the Chech Republic.

What future holds for Digital News Media?

It’s hard to predict what lies ahead as the number of
information providers staggers every day. As technology
enables people to find better career options in Freelance
journalism and social media, concerns about the information
misuse grow parallel. As for fabricated news, it’s best to
cross-check the source to dig the truth.

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF

ONLINE JOURNALISM
Online journalism has both advantages and limitations. This is due to the many
characteristics and issues specific to the medium.

One of the most significant advantages of online journalism is its immediacy. Prior to the
development of online journalism radio was the most immediate medium, with news
bulletins every thirty minutes or every hour. However the online environment allows for
much greater immediacy. Journalists in this medium have the unique ability to publish
news events as they happen. They can then update the stories to include subsequent
information easily and speedily at any time of the day or night. As soon as the information is
uploaded to the web, it is available around the globe.

Other advantages of online journalism relate to other medium-specific characteristics. The

incorporation of multimedia elements makes news websites more informative and
entertaining. Hyperlinks, blogs and discussion forums allow web-users a more hands on
experience, allowing them to be participants in the news process (Millison, 2004). The
archiving ability of news websites is also a great advantage as it provides an extensive
research resource to the public.

Another advantage of online journalism is that the medium is reflecting changes in society
 as well as technology. About one hundred million people access the world wide web and the
number is ever increasing (De Wolk, 2001: 175). As online information can be accessed at
any time it is a convenient way for people to stay up-to-date on local, national and world
news.

Despite the numerous advantages of online journalism, there are also limitations. The
benefit of immediacy can give rise to some serious ethical issues. The desire to publish
brand new information and the ease of which it can be altered may cause information to be
made accessible before it is verified. This undermines the journalistic principle of accuracy
and can lead to misinformation. Another potential problem is the dilemma of breaking a
news story immediately on the internet and therefore alerting rival news outlets, or waiting
to break the news in another medium and have an exclusive story (De Wolk, 2001).

Other limitations are more general. The immense size of cyberspace and the extent of
information available may intimidate audiences and cause information overload (Hall,
2001). Furthermore, it may be difficult for audiences to distinguish between credible news
websites and other non-official news websites. This can lead to confusion and
misinformation. There are also limitations in online journalism regarding the issues of
surveillance, censorship and privacy.

ONLINE JOURNALISM: THE PROS AND CONS

Standard
By literal definition, online journalism refers to the news content produced and distributed via
the Internet which is also considered as an alternative media. This means any news coming from
the Internet may or may not be published in the mainstream media (television, radio and
newspaper).
The Internet or the online community may be a very rich source of information and may serve as
a very fast medium for communication also. But online journalism is a double-edged sword, a
very sharp one. It has very useful advantages and at the same time it also has very dangerous
disadvantages. It has some ethical dilemmas too.

ADVANTAGES
The Internet is the fastest in terms of being the source of information compared to the traditional
ways of obtaining information. Information can be obtained in a second from micro-blogs (ex.
Twitter) then a moment later it will be followed by pictures of what’s happening or just
happened on Twitpic, Facebook, Instagram, Flickr, etc. and another moment later, videos will be
uploaded on YouTube, Facebook, etc. In just a few moment, you already know what is
happening unlike in mainstream media that you have to wait for the information to be given to
you and it may take an hour or a day (in newspapers) before you obtain the information.
Everyone on the Internet can be a source of information. Even posts on Twitter and Facebook
can be sources of information. Journalists may utilize the Internet to gather information. They
can curate those information and create news content out of it.
Journalists don’t have to be in the event to report it. Some circumstances may disable journalists
to be in the place of the event that they have to report in. It may be there was no correspondent
there and the place is very far away. But thanks to the Internet, publishable news can be made
with the information that the people have there. You can also interview people through Skype to
know what is really happening there. The physical body of the journalist isn’t needed.
The online community as active participants. The online community can update news
organizations real-time for it to be broadcast news. Journalists aren’t everywhere so they can’t
really gather news that fast unlike the grassroots community who was there the whole time and
acting as eyewitness to what is happening.
DISADVANTAGES
Accuracy is compromised for speed. Complete verification of information coming from the
Internet in just a minute is impossible. But to be in par with other news organizations and
journalists that also use the Internet in means of gathering information and disseminating it, they
have to publish it fast. Most news like this come with the tag ‘unverified.’ But doesn’t it violate
the three rules of journalism? “Accuracy! Accuracy! Accuracy!” – Pulitzer
There is an overload of unverified information. With thousand of posts and tweets about an
event, it is very hard for news organizations to verify which are true and which are not.
Publishing/Broadcasting unverified news is dangerous.  It may cause harm to other people. For
example, on CNN’s iReport, where the online community can post news there, a person reported
that Steve Jobs suffered from cardiac arrest on 2008. This caused Apple’s stock to have a 5.4%
decline in shares. This was not even published nor made into broadcast but this report has drastic
effect on Apple.
ETHICAL DILEMMA
News organizations with curators that don’t have enough verified information aggregate
published news from other news organizations. This is true, done by lazy journalists and news
organizations that want to keep up with the speed but don’t have other options to do so.
 

The Internet is indeed the fastest in terms of being a source and being a way of distributing
information. But journalists must also understand how important accuracy is. Journalists must
keep in mind that factual and contextual accuracy is their priority over speed. For me, news with
verified facts and a little bit late than others are better than news made with haste but has no
context and unverified facts.