Online journalism

Online journalism (including online journalism ) combines classic journalistic formats with online - typical ways of interaction and communication. Design principle is the non-linear hypertext or hypermedia, are typical teaser ( teaser ).

First of online journalistic content emerged as an Internet presence of existing media. Pure online portals such as T-Online and AOL have been added since the mid -1990s. The motto " Online first " is now also common in classical press products.

Workspaces

For online journalism include:

• Webjournalismus ( multimedia services on the World Wide Web), as well as, for example,
• Apps for smartphones and tablet computers,
• Newsletter by e- mail,
• A journalist moderated chat rounds,
• Slideshows, audio and video clips ( audio-visual moving image offer)
• Surveys, rankings and more deals around the folksonomy,
• General and personalized service offerings ( databases)
• Journalistic deals via blog and twitter
• Conception of more media offerings ( cross-media ) and
• Design and facilitation of online communities and social media offerings.

Special

Online media are structured as hypertext either hierarchical or reticular unsequentiell. Unlike newspapers ( in which also leaves to leaf ) or radio have their text, image, movie and Tonbeiträge no such order given. However, about the Home page ( homepage), Teaser or placement on the single web page can draw the attention of the user ( web text ). Since Google through its search engine results strongly affects the behavior of many users, search engine optimized writing in online journalism is important.

Offers of online journalism are potentially multimedia. On a theme select the online journalists suitable forms of representation and put it to a media-friendly (text, image, sound, movie). Space or time restrictions are practically gone; Storage and transmission capacity are now no more restrictions.

Many processes in online journalism are identical to those in the offline journalism: topic selection, research, content production, editing, etc. However, online media have gone to print, unless it is set. The technique allows a continuous updating of content, including the correction of previously published contributions, but also a multiple use of content ( syndication ).

In contrast to the print media, which are under financial pressure for years ( either because the yield hardly generate or because the publisher more than the actual return is expected ), the online journalism is seen as promising. Traditional publishers like Axel Springer publishing house or the mirror group are increasingly offering editorial content to pay fee. Other providers such as faz.net or Handelsblatt had practiced this long before them.

Forms of representation

Two categories of online journalistic forms can be distinguished:

1 The classical sender -oriented forms can be downloaded from the web server and often commented (hence interactive). They come from the classical journalistic mass media such as the press and electronic media, have changed through the online medium, however.

Examples:

• The informational modes of presentation, message, message, report, just like the reportage and the network file, but also the newsletter, see also Web text.
• Commenting end display forms, criticism or commentary; Example: Bastian Sick's column " Zwiebelfisch " at Spiegel Online. Comments appear online else rather than on user contribution.
• An essential part of journalism online deals make service contributions as advisor texts, questionnaires and surveys. Such applications as self-tests or wage calculators are often based databases.
• Audio slideshow - a combination of animated pictures with a soundtrack.

Examples:

Technology

From online journalists in-depth knowledge and skills in the use of hardware and software are expected. Goods in the early days of online journalism HTML knowledge indispensable, can, thanks to the development of the content management employees in the online editorial today focus on their journalistic and conceptual tasks more. This includes especially the syndication, the exchange of digital content (see also XML, RSS).

Besides the ability to deal with WYSIWYG editors, as well as know-how is expected in the area of ​​search engine optimization. Besides occur more knowledge in digital imaging, and audio and video editing (download, streaming media ).

When Tablet journalism of users of mobile devices will be involved in the work on user-generated content by, for example, images or comments uploads and asked then to other users within the coverage available.

Criticism

Websites of media often mix editorial content and advertising in an improper way. Often it is not transparent to the user, where they are paid ( advertising) or editorial content.

With many online journalism offers criticism is that it is insufficient to exploit the possibilities of multimedia, so the choice of the respective appropriate communication channel. Proceeding also that there is hardly give online journalism by publishing houses except as a secondary use of print news.

Lack of transparency of sources: Copy- and-paste journalism neglected even greater extent than in offline media research. Firstly contents are copied from Internet sources often unchecked. For other information, come as in traditional journalism often from other offline media or from Agency announcements, press releases, are uncritically accepted and missed subsequent corrections or denials of these. In a multiple- updated online contribution remains for the user often unclear how the original information was changed during the day and why.

The German Press Council in 2008 extended the scope of the Press Code and thus of self-regulation on online journalism outside of broadcasting.

How problematic can be online journalism, demonstrated the Stuttgarter Zeitung on 28 January 2012. During the test run of a technical change, the online editorial team turned a blind text with the headline " Merkel steps back " into the net. For a quarter of an hour the fictional text on the Internet was available. The editor later apologized for the embarrassing mishap.

Benefits

Despite great care in all editors and journalists came and it comes again and again that newspapers publish erroneous messages. Sometimes developed the published ' misinformation ' a life of its own and actually displaces the right information.

Some online sites offer correspondence links such as "Error in Report Item "; others respond to feedback, send the reader to the mail address given in the imprint. Sometimes this change is also made ​​transparent. Read The faster an error is detected and corrected, the less readers false information.

Training

Since the winter semester 2001, the university of Darmstadt ( h_da ) the degree program online journalism ( first Degree, Bachelor now ). In addition to journalistic theory and practical knowledge for print, TV and radio journalists online - specific content to be taught. In the main course, students between the centroids of online journalism and public relations can choose. At the University of Applied Sciences Cologne, there is a program " online editor ". Since the winter semester 2008/2009 the Leipzig School of Media offers part-time in the Master's program " New Media Journalism ". Editors are trained here in particular with regard to the specific requirements of online journalism and the cross-media publishing back. Since September 2010, the SAE Institute offers the course " Digital Journalism Diploma " at.

Full-time courses of six months and a part-time course of nine months to online journalism, video journalism and public relations Online has the Munich Academy of journalists in the program.