Week 5: Meikle B

I think it definitely correct in saying that there are new kinds of journalists online. “...newsgroups and weblogs are considered as additional sources of information retrieval, rather than as new avenues for new kinds of journalists to develop and publish new kinds of news” (paragraph 9). I think Meikle has an interesting approach here as my perception of new journalist revolves around audiences attempting to be professional writers. Like discussed in previous weekly blogs audience have access to become their ‘own’ producer, writer, investigator, director etc. By having this freedom on the internet the audience can feel as if they have more power in the virtual world than in meatspace as there is no one to stop them from doing so. As Meikle states the “audience members are transformed into researchers”(Paragraph 8). By being their own writer they also can express their own views and opinions into their articles and manipulate things that may have been said before. This is suggested by Meikle as he suggests “These researchers become comfortable with getting their news from a broader range of sources, to establish some as more legitimate than others” (Paragraph 8). Also on the internet they do not need any professional qualifications to write what they want.

However, you have to acknowledge the fact that these new kinds of journalists and their articles may be particularly biased. They may not be taken as seriously as other websites with stories written by trained writers.