How journalism has evolved with new technology

Few journalists or consumers of news content, today, can fathom the origins of the term spiking a story—the decision by an editor not to publish a story.

But imagine, the heart-break encountered when the editor of yore – complete with a practised scowl, smoking a cigarette and with half empty whiskey bottle —took articles that had been painstakingly typed and heartlessly speared them on a metal spike on their desk.

It was the editor’s way of informing the journalist that the story was not fit to print.

It is a newsroom tradition that has died with the introduction of the computer, as networked environments now mean stories can be delivered without having to be printed.

A journalist who worked in a newsroom during the 60s would be amazed at the transformation that newsrooms have undergone in the last 50 years.

Gone are the days of god-like editors whose bark was only worse than their bite.

In their place are sophisticated managers who oversee several business processes.

As a whole, the image of the typical journalist has changed from that of a cynical, shifty-looking enquirer to a multi-faceted professional.

Nowadays, stories are not spiked.

The media, like many other industries has been affected by the use of technology.

From the printing press which has now gone completely digital—a welcome change from the days of old when each individual letter would be placed on a plate— to the final product on which news is received, the media has been altered by technology.

Media managers join their counterparts in other industries to find ways of steering forward as newsmaking and reporting goes digital.

Managing the shifts in the industry is keeping many up at night.

If, as it is feared by many members of the fourth estate, the entire industry goes digital—meaning, for example, more content is delivered using the Internet rather than a newspaper— the fear is that many heads will roll.

The State of Media 2009 Report shows that overall, journalists are a worried lot.

Over half who were surveyed said journalism was “headed in the wrong direction”.

“Generational change is scary,” said one content manager for one of the America’s largest newspaper-based websites.

Another content manager said: “Online journalism is already evolving beyond the limits of traditional newsrooms and yet the medium is still in its infancy.”

Even as increasing dependence on technology changes the way we live, work and play, one thing that all stakeholders need to remember is; change is constant.

And that makes the Pan Africa Media Conference opening this morning in Nairobi even more relevant.

Join us as we chart the way forward.