What ever happened to Journalists???

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So the question is: "Do we still need Journalists in the age of Social Media?" Uhm...I don't really think so. Do we? Social Media has sort of taken over from journalists. Why? well, because it's that platform that has allowed anyone and everyone to be a reporter. When a story breaks out, the time it takes a journalist to grab their camera man or note pad or voice recorder and head to the scene, a video has already been uploaded on Youtube, the story has been hash tagged, tweeted, retweeted, pictures all over instagram and so forth. And the time it takes for an article to be written, edited and printed, the news has already travelled all over the world. I can imagine how frustrating it is. And smart phones? They're really not helping either. They make access to social networks so much easier. BIS, data and the worst of them all Wi-Fi!!! Imagine the whole world could all of a sudden do your job, overnight, just like that. What would be the need for you?



 

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Well, it’s really not a train smash because journalists should just join in and make use of these social media platforms to convey their information. Because like, who still reads newspapers? My grandpa maybe? So if you're a journalist, have a smartphone, be ready to snap, record and share because that's what life is about now. You snooze you lose? That's what they say right? Whoever came up with that saying probably saw how the power of social media would put journalists in jeopardy. But then, social media actually helps journalists break news and has made their lives easier. http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/how-social-media-helps-journalists-break-news/

So it's nothing to panic about, and yes, we do still need journalists. I was just trying to think the way the rest of the world does. Their jobs are to do follow up stories and get more details about the story if someone else provided that information. And plus, they are still credible sources and we trust them more than ordinary citizens. They just have to know how to do things and follow the direction of the world. It's as simple as that! And that's exactly what they are doing.

Accountability as a source on Social Media

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE FREEDOM OF TRUTH AND RELATIONSHIP BUILDING

 

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For those of you from my generation, I’m sure you wonder what a country without media freedom is like. This year, we not only celebrate 20 years of democracy in South Africa but also 20 years of media freedom. During the apartheid era journalists in South Africa were not allowed to freely express themselves and the media was controlled by the government http://goo.gl/tJB9Ve. Imagine living in such confinement? Not being able to let people know the truth; not speaking your mind because of fear of execution. Awful right? Well South Africa has come a long way with its media freedom and went as far as ranking Forty-second out of 179 countries in reporters without border and is currently ranking fifty-second http://goo.gl/3UHlGf.

 A part of the media is still however under the ownership of the government: SABC channels and radio stations such as 5fm and radio 2000 but way more information is issued out than during apartheid. We still have independent channels such as e.tv so we still receive unbiased and truthful information. All publications in South Africa fall under four major ownerships and there are rumours of cooperation bias http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_of_South_Africa. I do not completely agree with these rumours though; there is still some diversity in the news we receive because these publications do not all fall under one ownership. I wonder what you think about that.

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I don’t know if you know this, but public relations is a profession in South Africa that is blossoming and reaching new heights. Public relations in South Africa today is a sophisticated, multi-faced discipline, able to help forge effective two-way communication between an organisation and its various publics. Sounds a little complicated? Well not really, what this basically means is that it helps organisations engage and have a good relationship with their publics. Every organisation depends on its good reputation because if you ask me, without it they are non-existent. Don’t you agree with me? For those of you wondering what exactly public relations activities are, they range from running campaigns, organising events and implementing corporate social investment strategies.

Countries such as Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho, Swaziland and our beautiful South Africa are represented by PRISA which is basically an institute that ensures good practice in public relations and communication http://www.prisa.co.za/about-us/26-about-us/80-what-is-prisa.  Aren’t we very fortunate to have a body that helps us unite and grow in this profession? I mean, we even have the PRISM awards given for the best public relations campaigns and to the best performing public relations agencies. Isn’t that a good way to motivate people to do their best? That’s why I personally think that the public relations practice in South Africa is very successful. If you don’t agree with me I’m sure you have good reasons to and I would love to hear what your reasons are.



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