Role of Journalists in the Online World

The world is vastly shrinking as people are highly connected to each other through online networks. This phenomenon has initially caused a conundrum for journalists. What would be their role in the new medium called the Internet where there is free sharing and exchange of information? Would they still be relevant given that the Internet delivers information at much faster and cheaper rates?

For a while there, especially during the earliest period of the Internet boom, the sentiment among many journalists was that it was the end of an era for them. They believed that there was no way for their profession to survive in the censorship-deprived Internet community. More so, they were largely threatened due to the more dynamic and fashionable nature of this online medium.

Fortunately, as of this date, the journalists have been able to face the challenge. In fact, they have been able to adapt so well to the new medium that some journalists have become prominent figures online. The solution appeared to be simple: they do not have to directly compete against the Internet. They can actually embrace it as another medium of their profession or just use the cyber world as an extension of their journalistic presence - which is exactly what many newspapers and magazines are currently doing. After all, journalists can be bloggers and vice-versa. There is nothing wrong with that as long as it is defined in the medium what he sets out to do. For instance, a journalist can be a regular newscaster. If he has a personal website, he can write personal thoughts and opinions there especially about sensitive issues that might be construed as sensationalism if he were to say it on air. The present times call for the journalists to shift gears and adapt to new sensibilities.