The widespread horizons of Digital Journalism

Journalism is the means by which important national and international information is gathered, accessed, created, and presented in the form of the news. It is a process which is more than just a straightforward reporting. Journalists not only investigate a particular event or an incident but also attempt to uncover or disclose the hidden truths lying behind the story.

Whether you have watched the latest news this morning on news channels, read the daily newspaper, or have gone through the news stories or coverages on the internet, you are witnessing all the different forms of journalism.

For your understanding, few of the benefits of online journalism which are listed below:

Ubiquitous and easy to access: It is a form of media which can be accessed on your mobile, PC, laptop or tablets at any place and time as per your own convenience. It provides easy access to the latest news or information, be it at midnight or the early dawn. It further gives you the benefit of accessing the story in the forest, on the mountains or at any corner or broader part of the globe. Whereas in comparison to other modes of media which are having a limited circulation and is restricted to some areas only.

Cost-effectiveness: While we have to pay for reading newspapers, other print resources or journals, and broadcasting channels, for accessing the online or digitized form of information, you need not pay anything besides the internet charges, which has also gone way too cheap these days. This is why accessing digital journalism doesn't go that harsh on your pocket as all you require is a data connection on your system and you are all ready to go.

Instant and timely updates: Online sources are continuously updated in real time which implies that you will have all the latest and appropriate coverage on the current issues of the world. This gives digital journalism a significant edge over the print media, where you have to wait for next 24 hours for the most recent updates or editions.

Syndicated source of marketing: Online reporting also forms an extensive source of marketing for all the industries. It provides the most convenient way to reach out to the maximum number of potential consumers or audiences in literally no time.

Option to read: Online resources and data shared through digital journalism provide the audience with an option to choose from the stories or coverages of their own interest or preferences. This is hence more liked by the audience as they don't have to waste time on the news or information not related to them.

Highly interactive: Digital or online journalism can make the information look highly interactive for the audiences by embedding videos into the articles along the info and images or pictures. It is quite impossible to insert the videos in the newspaper as they are physical and non-editable.

More economical: Online mode of information is more economical for the news and source providers than the other ways of journalism.

Open opinion: Online journalism allows the audience to share their views and opinions on the general matter on the portal. It helps in knowing the user interface and also supports the agencies to understand more about their audiences. But in case of other modes, there is no such option available to know about their viewer's interest, views, and preferences.

Global reach: Digital journalism is very useful in breaking the geographical barriers and expands the horizons of the information to all over the world.

As you can see, the domain of digital journalism offer a lot many advantages over the other forms of journalism and is hence, gradually establishing itself as the preferred mode for accessing news and information for the computer savvy generation. As such, the domain has come up as a highly sought-after career fields and offers massive and lucrative career opportunities.

(The author is the Senior Director at Institute of Management Studies (IMS) Noida and Alumni of Harvard University (HKS))