Weaving new global narratives for journalism

Image courtesy of [Ambro] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The authors of “Watchdog for the future:the journalist as pioneer of a new global narrative” write about journalistic style, the necessity of media maintaining first hand access to leaders and events, of fostering transparency in society and highlighting both misfeasance and neglect. They provide ideas for overcoming the "Optimism gap", the "Negativity bias", as well as "Availability heuristics" when connecting news to become a global narrative through fostering positive narratives, lifting good examples and relatable heroes. There are some additional developments that could help journalists.

Data driven journalism would be an important development for global journalism. The advent of cloud computing, agile development, mobile devices, and open source software does not only provide media with ways of telling stories, or finding stories in data. It also provides journalists with the opportunity to present their audience with evidence and visualization of global developments. It can also find data in reading patterns to find the stories the public finds informative. Identifying and connecting to right audiences could provide a way to leave behind clickbaits.

Global journalism does have some similar hurdles to overcome what Australian journalist James Panichi describes in his article about the media environment on the European Union beat. Most attempts at covering international news often end up media trying to “shovel free, generalist news at a mass audience, daring it to watch, listen, read, stream and podcast at any time of the day”, to quote as Panichi. That kind of journalism cannot provide audiences with an informed or credible view of how global affairs impact on their daily lives. Neither does it provide a satisfactory revenue stream.

The infrastructure of the early stages in a journalist’s career, consisting of poorly paying jobs and unpaid internships, does not facilitate specialization. Global journalism is not the same as foreign news, it is a highly specialized endeavor, where the journalists needs to develop a skill set, a set of contacts and understanding of when stories are to be found. To find the trends, not the fads, in global affairs. Interestingly, the most profitable type of journalism is often the specialized one, where the audience is motivated to purchase unique and well-researched information.

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