"Journalism Next" Chapter 10

Chapter 10 of Journalism Next aims to demonstrate the art of "managing news as a conversation."

News has always been a topic for discussion, but it is only since the advent of the Internet, blogging, and comment boards that news has become a genuine conversation wherein the audience, who once had no choice but to mutely receive news from an elite coterie of reporters, now actively influence not only what is covered but how it is reported on.

Users have come to expect that they will have a voice in their news, and that isn't changing. 

This development has several implications for journalists:

• Gauging Public Reaction: The public's response to a news story can now be assessed immediately. Readers may give their opinion as to the event that has occurred, complement on the reporter's skill in handling the item, or even give their thoughts on whether the story was worthy of coverage at all.
• Obtaining leads: Particularly where local journalism is concerned, readers can prove to be not only an audience but a valuable source of information. Social networking sites like Twitter can be a good source of potential data for a beat. 
• The Tyranny of Traffic: Not all outgrowths of user-driven journalism are positive. In an environment where news organizations are hypersensitive to page views and comments, worthwhile news stories may be scrapped in favor of those that are more salacious or attention-grabbing. 

Remember to network through social media. If your audience lives on Facebook, then that's where you must reach them.