As modern television broadcasting companies continue to compete with each other, they also compete with the “New Media.” New Media comes in a wide variety of forms, including internet radio stations, blogs, programming that is exclusively online, and file-sharing and downloading sites.

Everyone’s a Journalist

Professional journalists must now compete with bloggers for the attention of audiences worldwide. The ease of publication on blog sites such as Wordpress and Blogger gives the nonprofessional writer the power to report on any desired topic. Using a narrow focus and passion-based niches to their advantage, these self-styled journalists often have as much influence as traditional reporters.

The Age of the Citizen Journalist is a double-edged sword. Now any somewhat competent writer (and even a few incompetent ones!) can enjoy the instant gratification of audience feedback, along with instant notoriety. Dedicated bloggers can even monetize their sites, and get paid to hold forth on their passions.

But the downside of citizen journalism is the general lack of accountability and accurate research methodology. Blog writers are not saddled with journalistic restrictions, such as libel laws, the need for reliable sources, and word count requirements. The result is a virtual free-for-all fountain of information and disinformation. Unsubstantiated and often wild rumors are reported as fact, and reputations rise and fall on the say-so of a blogger who may or may not be doing his homework.

Generation Wired

Despite these drawbacks, blogs remain popular because of their unfiltered, independent points of view. Many news junkies have come to depend on blogs because they no longer trust the major networks. Many people feel that the major networks are out of touch with the common people, unable to spot trends and other important developments quickly enough. This skepticism of the major networks is especially prevalent with so-called Generation X and Y, who are very tech savvy and not necessarily glued to the TV sets. Instead, these younger generations are glued to the Internet, and as such, derive much of their information from blogs and other online sources.

The 2008 US Presidential election demonstrated this pronounced effect of media shifting. The New Media has had a direct effect on the election and the entire campaign process. Successful candidates were able to raise enormous amounts of money through websites. YouTube and other video sites made speeches and unfortunate gaffes far more accessible.

Staying Relevant

In order to remain relevant, broadcast networks are adapting their information distribution to New Media . Every network has an active website and broadcast their shows freely on the web. Instead of seeing New Media as competition, networks are harnessing the promotional potential of having their shows distributed freely on websites such as Hulu. Another advantage the major networks enjoy are their enormous resources; they still can report from around the world through their various global bureaus. And most importantly, network writers must still strictly adhere to journalistic standards, so the networks can tout their reliability over amateur bloggers.

But even with these advantages, broadcast networks cannot simply rest on their laurels of a century of media domination. If they are to remain a viable source of information, broadcast networks must embrace and eventually become innovators in the brave new world of New Media.