What impact has the internet has on journalism and how can journalists and media practitioners best take advantage of the internet to improve their work. This presentation is about has journalism can improve the internet to source for content, produce content and distribute content with a special focus on online search strategies.

1. Understanding the Internet and how it works
Understanding the new news consumer (and new media)
Appreciating the effects of the digital revolution on Journalism
Tips for better online search
Understanding credibility of online sources
Jo urnalism and the Internet Revo lutio n Gerald Businge 1

2. Understanding the Key Terms
The Internet
Media Vs Journalism
New Media
Digital Revolution
Mobile
The New News Consumer
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3. The Internet
The Internet is a worldwide collection
of computer networks, cooperating
with each other to exchange data using
a common software standard (http, ftp
etc), which ensure uniform and
efficient communication across the
world. Also called the World Wide
Web
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4. Media Vs Journalism
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Media are the channels of mass communication.
Journalism on the other hand is the practice or craft
of generating (following a set of principles that ensure
public interest is served) and conveying news,
descriptive material and comments on issues or
events through a wide spectrum of media.

5. New Media
New Media are interactive digital forms of
communication that use the internet, mobile phones
and related devices to avail content to users. Unlike
legacy media, New Media makes it possible for
anyone to create, modify and share content with
others using relatively free tools that are often free or
inexpensive. These tools help anyone interested to
connect, collaborate and create content when they
want to. They also allow people (audience members)
more freedom to access the content they want, when
they want it.
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6. Digital Revolution
The Digital Revolution, also sometimes called the
third industrial revolution, is the change from analog
mechanical and electronic technology to digital
technology that has taken place since about 1980 and
continues to the present day. Implicitly, the term also
refers to the sweeping changes brought about by
digital computing and communication technology
during the latter half of the 20th century. Analogous
to the Agricultural Revolution and Industrial
Revolution, the Digital Revolution marked the
beginning of the Information Age.
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7. Mobile
Mobile refers to communication devices that are portable and
easy to move with. Today, mobile media devices such as mobile
phones and PDA’s (Personal Digital Assistant) are the primary
source of portable media from which we can obtain information
and communicate with one another. Mobile phones, digital
cameras, ipods, walkmans, laptops, PDA, Ipads and so on
consume much of our daily lives. These devices and their
corresponding media technologies play an increasingly
important role in the everyday lives of millions of people world
wide. Media can be downloaded onto the device by podcasting
or can be streamed over the web. Digital applications include
gaming, video, audio, downloadable ring tones and mobizines.
The era of Mobile TV on some of these gadgets is already a
reality
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8. The New News Consumer
In the new era, we see that People no longer passively
“consume” media (and thus advertising, its main revenue
source) but actively participate in the media, which usually
means creating content, in whatever form and on whatever
scale. E.g.With the Ipod or the several MP3 players, people are
no longer waiting to tune into a radio or television programme
to consume their favourite music. They collect (from the
internet or music vendors) their favourite songs, make their
own lists, hit plays and they listen at will when they want to.
They can easily organize their music on their devices and easily
search for the song (audio or video) that they want. They can
also create music lists and share them with their friends online
or mobile, when they want to. We need to prepare content
users can interact with and share.Journalism and the Internet Revolution Gerald Businge 8

9. Usefulness of the Internet
connect easily through ordinary personal computers and
local phone numbers;
exchange electronic mail (E-mail) with friends and
colleagues with accounts on the Internet;
ost information for others to access, and update it
frequently;
access multimedia information that includes sound,
photographic images and even video; maps, mashups,
timelines, and
access diverse perspectives from around the world.
See http://www.centerspan.org/tutorial/net.htm
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10. Internet boosting Journalism
Reporters can enliven their reports with diverse
sources and data and avoid “flat news”.
Copy/paste journalism; no checking…can be avoided
since the internet provides massive data bases to cross
check most of the things we report about.
See Nick Davies interview http://www.humedia.nl/profiles/blogs/nick-davies-over
The internet offers new possibilities see Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/data (Extensive
reporting)
Concept of continuum reporting---pro-active
reporting vs re-active reporting…the stories lives on
and can keep on being improved.Journalism and the Internet Revolution Gerald Businge 10

11. Mobile boosting Journalism
Used to capture: take photos, record audio & Video
Internet connected phones used to search web or sms
Used to Edit (advanced phones)
Used to publish
Used to share content after publication
Live or immediate reporting
Since many people access the internet through their
mobile phones, you can also produce and publish
content targeted to be received through the mobile
phones.
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12. Internet search strategies
Since the primary job of journalists is to find
information and package it for audiences, it is
important for journalists to learn how to utilize the
internet as key resource for better stories. A lot of
information is available online, provided by media
houses, journalists, governments, civil society
organizations etc. The best way to find out what
information is available is to search the internet.
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13. Why search/Research using Internet?
More sources –search names, officials or experts,
including particular data
Has a wider geographical range (world wide web)
Direct access (the time you want the info you search
and get it from anywhere you are with an internet
connection-as opposed to a library or legacy media)
Multi media: you can search for
audio/video/graphics, maps to help add more info
and life to your story
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14. Searching beyond Google
Databases provide more data but are not accessed
easily by search engines…How do you find databases?
Utilise Institutional approach for searching
For human rights stories as an example, the UN,
Human Rights Watch, CIA facthandbook, etc these
organizations keep compiling on HR issues. Go to
their websites and search for the information you
want.
Find leading media:, BBC, Economist,
newvision.co.ug, and subscribe to RSS feed
Search news site (newspaper) archives: on their
website search
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15. Searching with Google…Tips
Set your preferences to return the maximum results
The Google page has a link marked ‘preferences’. This
allows you to set some search preferences (to search
only English language pages, for instance) but the
most useful preference to change is the number of
results shown for each search. The default setting is
for 10 results which means you have to refresh the
page each time to get the next ten. Set preferences for
the maximum 100 results – which allows you to scan
much bigger chunks of data to see if it is relevant.
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16. Getting the best out of key words
Use quotation marks…including OR command
Add facts you know or suspect…e.g. location
Try country specific searches..e.g. site:.com, .ch, .ug
Organisation specific searches .e.g. .org, .edu, .go.ug
Use the Internet to find sources e.g. exprts
Use Google cache
Use Internet phone book where available (white
pages)
Download long articles for later reading
Build own database in structure way or use search
client like Google Desktop
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17. Online search tips cont…d
Look different source type: doc, xls, ppt
Use Google news and create RSS feeds/bookmarks
Find institutions and their databases
Bloggers: using technorati
Use Twitter (search key word direct or use hash tags)
Search facebook (names, contacts and photos)
Know your information sources…UN, UBOS, WB, CIA
Stephen C. Miller Strategy…difference between
.com, .gove, .mil, .go.ug, .ac.ug,.or.ug, .co.ug
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18. Verifying credibility of Online sources
Verify the sources of the results before you just copy
their content
Look closely at the url to ensure it is genuine...
Read the about and or contact page to see whether
site is dependable, see the telephone and email
contacts provided...are they dependable?
Do a www.whois.com or www.allwhois.com search
to determine who owns the site
If it is from a social media pages, check the about,
check their friends, their other posts/updates to see
whether that is the kind of company or organisation
to depend on
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19. When evaluating a web page, check to see
Who’s authoring and publishing them. Is the
publisher a scholar on that topic--or someone simply
putting forth opinions with no substantiation?
If the writer unbiased, or someone with an agenda?
If the writer list a bibliography or source or Web links
list, so you can do further research on your own, or
independently verify information?
When the site was last updated. A credible site
should tell you this on the home page. Currency is
important!
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Businge 19