Chapter by Suellen Tapsall
The convergence of communications and information technologies (CIT) the growth of online media and the relative decline of both print and broadcast news journalism in Australia have encouraged prophetic statements about the future - or lack thereof - of 'tradition' news media.
While the talk of death of traditional news is seemingly everywhere and circulation is in fact down this is not a new entity. "They've heard it before. The newspaper industry has a deeply sado-masochistic streak. It goes to extraordinary lengths, and sometimes even great expense to arrange for speakers to dump on newspapers and pronounce their downfall, even as they go to greater lengths to take little or none of the advice they get". Katz 1999
while newspapers may be on the decline there are still new technologies which are being tests all the time which may be able to save some of what we know of traditional news. Some such idea is a computer based notion. What it is is a computer style plastic type board which you plug in daily to your computer and thus it downloads the news. It has the same tangible aspects that newspaper have except it would be a single screen with interactive features such as touch screens, changing ads etc. It is this kind of innovation which may be the way of traditional daily news for the future.
Convergence seems to be a solution for some in terms of the supposed print media death. as with Rupert Murdoch and the down Jones take over which finally occurred on the 31st of July this year we may soon be at risk of loosing distinct voices within the media. Its conceivable with Murdoch owning such a large portion of media in different mediums its not such a far fetched idea to one day have our news coming from TV Internet and print all being controlled by one conglomerate. It wouldn't be unrealistic in this sense to listen to a news crop television broadcast, sit down and read all news corp daily news story go online and chat to some friends on myspace then finally onto some fix sport - all of which are now controlled by Murdoch.
In this sense of of our news and even recreational activities are being controlled by one corporation. It may seem far fetched but its happening.
Technological determinists adhere to a central tenet that technology, in and of itself, causes social and cultural change.
Convergence may seem like a worthwhile option as ideally it looks to address issues of credibility within journalists in theory they would have more time to research and investigate stories but realistically it seems what would occur would be a dilution of news and current affairs where the same story would be told in multiple papers as well as television and in online news.
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