Читать книгу Feature Writing and Reporting - Jennifer Brannock Cox - Страница 26

Accessibility to reporters was once restricted to a determined few. If readers wanted to complain about an article or make suggestions for future stories, they were limited to either writing letters to the editor or calling the newsroom—both methods that could easily be disregarded by reporters. In the early days of online publishing, readers could post comments online beneath articles, but again, reporters often neglected the discussion threads.

Thanks to social media, readers will no longer be ignored. Readers can keep reporters accountable for their facts, posting about any errors or misconceptions in a story publicly on the reporter’s or news organization’s social media page for everyone to see. In the past, if someone wrote a letter to a reporter and the reporter ignored it, no one would really know about it or care. Now reporters must be responsive to social media postings in order to maintain their credibility.

When social media are used throughout the development of a story, reporters can use online platforms to their advantage, asking for information from followers and clarifying any false or misguided information before the final article is published through a process called crowdsourcing, which will be covered in more depth in Chapter 4 on interviewing.

Before the internet, finding news on specific topics was also difficult. If readers wanted to learn more about something, they would likely need to buy or subscribe to a niche publication, a news product that is tightly focused on a particular issue or hobby, targeting a specific audience uniquely interested in that topic. Otherwise, readers had to sift through the general news to get to information that interested them—and if they missed an edition, it was gone for good by the time the next publication came out.

The internet changed how readers get their news. A 2016 study revealed that 59% of American adults who prefer reading news opt to get their news online, compared with just 26% who prefer print.⁶ Loyalty to a particular publication became less necessary, as readers can now search online for news that interests them directly. News articles are also cataloged online, making them available indefinitely. If readers miss a story, it’s no big deal—they can probably find it using a simple Google search. The googleability of archived articles has enhanced the value of feature journalism for news organizations, as stories that have a long-term impact may receive more visitors over time rather than just on the day of publication.