Journalism, 'Churnalism' and Twitter

[sp1814]

I've recently noticed what seems to be an ever-increasing reliance by newspapers on so-called studies, 'churnalism' and the dreaded 'Twitter storm'.

Growing up, I remember great investigative reporters and papers dedicated to running stories that changed the way we view the world.

Now, it seems that the news is dominated by whatever is trending on Twitter ("Twitter storm as Prince Charles mis-pronounces Gloucestershire"), promotional 'studies' ("Eating a chocolate bar a day makes your boobs perkier", claims a study sponsored by Cadburys), or plain old' churnalism, which like the promotional studies are simply adverts for whatever company has emailed the paper in question.

Is this something to be concerned about? Does anyone really care? Are newspapers now at the mercy of Twitter, Facebook, YouTube et al, simply because they need to keep the online content up to date?

[emmie]

that is the thing with the modern age, it will keep on going. Twitter, facebook, don't do it, AB yes because it's dotty and sometimes funny.

[sp1814]

em10

Interesting what you say about Facebook. Do you think it will eventually run out of steam? That's a discussion we had at work...I think that eventually something will replace FB - as something replaced Friends Reunited.

Do you think the Internet will (or already has) alter the way we think about 'news' and what constitutes 'news'.

[emmie]

I think FB will go bust, not sure what will replace it, nothing i hope.

[Gromit]

The beauty of the internet is that we can all be investigative journalists and go and find things out. We can read a link to a newspaper and go and delve and find facts and statistics that that undermine or support the story. We can read a Government statement and read what they promised when they were trying to get elected.

It is a mystery that it is so easy now, that many of the papers don't even try, and it is left to knowledgeable bloggers to introduce stuff to a wider audience.

I too remember the Sunday Times Insight team, Granada's World in Action and Private Eye edited by Ingrams, but even at the time we were probably a very small audience for that kind of journalism.

[jno]

well, it's still August, the silly season. Even with the Olympics to fill pages, there's still a need for stories about lions roaming Essex.

But yes, these surveys carried out by tractor companies that show Britain is a nation of tractor lovers all demanding that everyone be given a free tractor... they're a menace.

Newspapers are all in trouble because everyone expects to get their news for free from the internet. They have to sack reporters and fill their pages with handouts, advertorial, and rubbish. This will go on past the end of the silly season, probably until papers start folding. None of them knows what to do about it. Ultimately we may well be relying on Twitter for our news; and who will be able to believe a word of it?

[ludwig]

The thing you forgot to mention is regurgitated TV. At least half of the material in tabloids is 'news' about what happened or is going to happen on some garbage telly program like TOWIE or made in Chelsea, or big brother, or Emmerdale.
They report the happenings of soap operas as if they're stories about real people.