Internet changing journalism, but not as many expected it would

A 2007 report on the State of The News Media says the Internet has profoundly changed journalism, but not necessarily in ways that were predicted even a few years ago.

The web was at one point believed to democratize the media, adding many new voices, stories and perspectives. But the Project for Excellence in Journalism's annual State of the News Media report released Sunday says the news agenda actually seems to be narrowing, with many websites primarily packaging news that is produced elsewhere.

It notes that two stories – the war in Iraq and the 2008 presidential election in the U.S. – represented more than a quarter of the stories in newspapers, on television and online in 2007. With respect to International news coverage if stories about Iraq, Iran and Pakistan are left out, world news coverage only amounted to six per cent of American news coverage.

The report says the news side of the business is dynamic, but the growing ability of news consumers to find what they want without being distracted by advertising is what's making the industry go through some tough times.

"Although the audience for traditional news is maintaining itself, the staff for any of these news organizations tend to be shrinking," says Tom Rosenstiel, the project's director.

NBC News' recent decision to name make David Gregory host of a nightly program on MSNBC while keeping his job as White House correspondent is an example of how people are being asked to do much more, he says, adding that news is less a product, like the day's newspaper or a nightly newscast, than a service that is constantly being updated.

Last week, for instance, The New York Times posted its first report linking New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer to a prostitution ring in the early afternoon, and it quickly became the day's dominant story.

Rosenstiel says newspaper websites were primarily considered an online morgue for that day's newspaper but the web is now recreating the afternoon newspaper.

A separate survey found journalists are, to a large degree, embracing the changes being thrust upon them. A majority say they like doing blogs and that they appreciate reader feedback on their stories. When they're asked to do multimedia projects, most journalists find the experience enriching instead of feeling overworked.

The report says the newsroom is increasingly being seen as the most experimental place in the business with most news websites no longer being final destinations. The report found that many users insist that the sites, and even individual pages, offer plenty of options to navigate elsewhere for more information.

In another unexpected finding, the report says citizen-created websites and blogs are actually far less welcoming to outside commentary than the so-called mainstream media.