Journalism involves dozens of techniques, practices and principles, but digital access has changed the dynamics of how journalism is produced and consumed --- as a result, the processes themselves have altered.
A leading academic and a prominent online columnist have pointed in recent days to two changes in the landscape worth noting.
NYU's Jay Rosen wonders if the old-style approach to balance --- the so-called he said-she said story --- isn't now an anachronism consumers see through and are tired of.
The he said-she said story starts with a conflict and seeks unquestioningly to provide a balance of the conflicting views without taking the time to assess the veracity of the viewpoints.
Rosen believes any good blogger or consumer can spot the problem these days, so the longstanding approach of avoiding risk on deadline by simply carrying a faithful rendition of viewpoints isn't as viable any more.
Then there's another balloon-pricking notion from Jon Friedman in his Marketwatch column: The scoop doesn't matter.
He believes the Internet has made information's origin so blurry that the journalist's pride in the scoop no longer has much importance. It may not rate highest online, in particular, where such metrics as most-commented and most-emailed are of greater significance.
