Poynter Institute’s Pew Research Center, often cited as a world leader as a journalism institution, released their latest webinar, State of the News Media 2012, on their website www.newsu.org in late March. The annual release highlights the emerging trends and changes in the news and media world.
In the 2012 SOTNM webinar, technology was at the forefront of the discussion. From mobile technology’s role in news consumption through tablets and smartphones to social media’s role in the distribution of news, emerging technologies were showcased throughout the presentation.
One of my favorite parts of the presentation touched on the large number of websites dedicated to sharing community and hyperlocal news. With the dwindling number of newspapers and print publications available for various regions around the country, hyperlocal websites have emerged as a leading source for news around a specific community.
The way these hyperlocal sites (you know, like ValpoLife.com) are able to stay active and thrive is by maintaining a strict 'bottom-line' mindset, and by partnering with other growing networks around the community in which they serve, like public radio, television, and even local daily newspapers.
“At the very hyperlocal level, these websites are going for-profit,” said Tom Rosensteil one of the presenters . “The community is too small to sustain a non-for profit model.”
The webinar is very insightful, and I encourage you to visit the Poynter website for this and many other resources that you—as a parent, student, business, or community organization—could use to get up to speed with the ever-changing trends in media at little to no cost.