As technology advances, the pace of life only gets faster and faster. People now have access to an infinite source of information accessible in seconds through a search engine. People can also post their own experiences and knowledge on the internet for the entire world to see. If information from people to people is already accessible through the internet, why do journalists need to report it as well? For example, if a scientist made a significant discovery and could post about it online, where the whole world can access it, why would a journalist need to report on it? Well, journalists have something that random information from the internet doesn't. Journalists are trusted sources who can properly separate relevant and irrelevant information (include true and false, biased and unbiased information) and transport it to the public in a way that is easily accessible and understandable. Normal people would not be likely to find the scientist's report unless they knew what they were looking for, let alone understand it completely. In this process, a journalist is like a mailman, sending information from certain people to other people by being a liaison trusted by both sides who knows where to send every bit of information and how to send it.
I personally appreciate the changes within the journalism industry. Although the newspapers are becoming outdated, more modern sources of news, like websites and television programs, and growing and prospering. Newspapers give a sense of nostalgia and tangibility and provide many jobs, but, ultimately, the more modern sources are much more affordable, eco-friendly, efficient, up-to-date, and engaging, easily becoming more favorable to "users".
The speed of today's news sources is their most important characteristic. If a sudden event occurs, it can be broadcasted live or posted about in minutes, allowing people to be updated constantly. A successful journalist must be able to provide new information to as many "users" as possible, not merely repeating what is known or has already been reported. Because the public consists of such a wide range of people, journalists must realize that there will most likely be users more experienced or knowledgeable in the subject than the journalists themselves. (After all, they are only "the mailmen" and not those who discovered the information.) Therefore, it would be wise to do some research or interview those more informed and experienced with the topic. They must try and find as many sources of information as possible, even those that may not be directly involved with the report, because one never knows what important information each person might have to share.
For example, after the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster in Japan, news of the event was broadcast in the U.S. almost instantly after the tragedy occurred. For the first day, news stations were constantly playing whatever new footage they could get their hand on. However, after a few days, most stations were continuously showing the same footage and giving the same information. The station that would interest viewers the most would be the ones with the most new information, doing interviews of victims of the disasters as well as specialists, workers, and scientists who knew more about nuclear power plants, earthquakes. They researched the subject, not only looking to those in Japan who were experiencing the tragedy first hand, but other sources like scientists and power plant workers in the U.S. who had a clearer understanding of the topic. They had realized that, when there was no more new information coming from Japan, they had to look somewhere else to find information, from a source that was not new, but still relevant and not yet publicly known.
