Changing phases of journalism

For anyone who graduated with a degree in Mass Communication in the early 2000s, the chances are high that they were taught normative theories of Mass Communication, news writing, and courses related to laws and ethics. However, in less than a decade, the journalism industry has changed drastically. The shift of information media from print to broadcast was relatively much slower than its change from broadcast to digital.
Newsrooms are shrinking, reporters are now also the video editors, and MoJo (Mobile journalism) kits replace big HD cameras. The field of journalism is not only about news writing or reporting courses anymore, but it also requires journalists to be experts in extracting data, coding, creating infograms, animation, and graphic designing. The print media storytelling or news packages for the broadcast were gradually replaced by ‘multimedia storytelling’, something which was unimaginable in the past.

During the Bachelors of Mass Communication, universities were teaching that a good story with accurate and unbiased reporting can change the world. But the reality of today’s digital world shows that if it is not presented well, it will change absolutely nothing. What matters now is how you engage communities, monetize your content and the type of multimedia tools you are using to publish your stories.
The role of a journalist is expanding rapidly, but many believe that it is going to compromise the quality of the work in the future. The future of journalism will not be restricted to producing good content but also to be innovative.
Any freshpeople who are looking for a degree in Media Sciences and aspire to be journalists should be prepared to be the engine of change.
Previously journalism courses taught to focus only on the human angle of the story while keeping in mind the code of ethics of journalism. However, the picture in classrooms is different now. Students are taught 30 different ways of telling a story in 30 different technological forms to be published on various digital platforms.

In this digital age, universities that are excelling in setting trends rather than teaching old school journalism will survive and go further. Many news media organizations in Pakistan are focusing on hiring journalists with many skills to be able to create a more profound impact and engage people through multimedia stories. Therefore, organizations prefer journalists who are not only good with writing skills but also have technological understanding.
In Pakistan, however, the students of journalism still lag in innovating new ideas in the field of journalism. Many students and teachers still believe that these new trends in media are going to affect the quality of journalism and the ethics will be compromised too. But while students are at it, there is still room for following current trends and bringing new ones of their own to maintain the quality of journalism.