Online Journalism (Digital Journalism )

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Department of English

Maharaja Krishnkumarsinhji Bhavnagar University

Name:-                                   Parmar Milankumar L.

Roll No. :-                             14

Enrollment no.:-                 pg14101026

Course name:-                   Mass communications and Media studies

Topic of an assignment:-Online Journalism (Digital Journalism )

Submitted to :-                    Dr. Dilip Barad,

                                                  Head of the department

                                                  Department of English (MKBU)

Ë         Introduction

The word journal or journalist has their origin in the French word the journal meaning a book and it has its origin in turn in the Roman word ‘Diurnalis’. Journalism has its childhood back in around 130b.c. in roman, where two hand written bulletins were putting in to the public square. Which were known as ‘Acta- Diurrna’. This was probably the first news paper dealing with events.  

From 130B.c to the present time journalism has grown up much. It has moved far from its origin in Roman to the present globalized world. The journey of the journalism in that course of time is that of from stone to print media, print to digital media which remained yet very popular form of journalism. But since last two decades of the 21^st century journalism has grown one more step ahead, now it turned from stone to print, print to broadcasting, and now from broadcasting to online journalism; Online journalism also known as digital journalism. The good thing about this long process of journalism is that it has included the previous form of journalism without any kind of the harm to previous one. Twenty first century is century of digital revolution. The world is digitalizing than why journalism left behind?

First let’s see what is journalism and then we will come to our point what is online journalism, according to Wikipedia page “Journalism is gathering, processing, and dissemination of News and information related to news, to an audience.  The word applies to the method of inquiring for news, the literary style which is used to disseminate it, and the activity (professional or not) of journalism. The media that journalism uses vary diversely and include: content published via newspapers and magazines (print), television and radio (broadcast), and their digital media versions — news websites and applications. (Wikipedia)

Ë  Role of Journalism

Lippmann saw Journalism's role “at the time as acting as a mediator or translator between the public and policy-making elites. The journalist became the middleman. When elites spoke, journalists listened and recorded the information, distilled it, and passed it on to the public for their consumption. Lippmann put it this way: The public is not smart enough to understand complicated political issues. It was also to act as a watchdog over the elites, as the public had the final say with their votes.

There are various types of Journalism they are as below

Ø Advocacy journalism

Ø Broadcast journalism

Ø Citizen journalism (participatory journalism)

Ø Data journalism

Ø Gonzo journalism

Ø Digital journalism

Ø Investigative journalism

Ø Photojournalism

Ø Sensor journalism

Ø Tabloid journalism

Ø Yellow journalism (sensationalism)

Ë   Digital journalism

The role and status of journalism, along with that of the mass media, has undergone profound changes over the last two decades with the advent of digital technology and publication of news on the Internet.

There is no clear cut definition of digital journalism. Mu Lin argues that "Web and mobile platforms demand us to adopt a platform-free mindset for an all inclusive production approach – create the (digital) contents first, then distribute via appropriate platforms." For Deuze, online journalism can be functionally differentiated from other kinds of journalism by its technological component which journalists have to consider when creating or displaying content. The difference between tradition journalism and the digital journalism can be in its role of reporter and its relation with audience and organization. The expectation of audience (society) for instant news and information has given birth to digital journalism. But still we can’t firmly say that this is digital journalism, for that we have to wait for time to pass.

Ë   History of Digital journalism

Like the other forms of journalism, at present we see as digital journalism has undergone very long process and still this process is ongoing. 

v The first type of digital journalism, called teletext, was invented in the UK in 1970. Teletext is a system allowing viewers to choose which stories they wish to read and see it immediately.

v After the invention of teletext was the invention of videotex, of which Prestel was the world’s first system, launching commercially in 1979 with various British newspapers such as the Financial Times lining up to deliver newspaper stories online through it.

v Online news websites began to proliferate in the 1990s. An early adopter was The News & Observer in Raleigh. "Nando evolved into the first serious, professional news site on the World Wide Web".

v By 1996, most news outlets had an online presence. And it was very convenient to reader that it has text, video and audio at a time. And reader has choice what to read and when to read.

v In 2001 the American Journalism Review called Salon the Internet's "preeminent independent venue for journalism."

v In 2008, for the first time, more Americans were getting their national and international news from the internet, rather than newspapers. Young people aged 18 to 29 now primarily get their news via the Internet, according to a Pew Research Center report. Sixty-five percent of youth now primarily access the news online.

v Blogs are also another digital journalism phenomenon capable of fresh information, ranging from personal sites to those with audiences of hundreds of thousands. Digital journalism is involved in the cloud journalism phenomenon, a constant flow of contents in the Broadband Society.

v The Online News Association, founded in 1999, is the largest organization representing online journalists, with more than 1,700 members whose principal livelihood involves gathering or producing news for digital presentation.

v Hyperlocal journalism is journalism within a very small community. Hyperlocal journalism, like other types of digital journalism, is very convenient for the reader and offers more information than former types of journalism. It is free or inexpensive.

Ë Impact of digital journalism

When the new things or new ways of something come it in one or other way has its impact on the traditional way of doing the things. The same things happened when there was new flaw of digital journalism. It has its impact on the traditional media ways of journalism and thus on the readers. Here are some points which are regarded as the impact of its…

 (Paxson., 2010)

v Digital journalism allows for connection and discussion at levels that print does not offer on its own. People can comment on articles and start discussion boards to discuss articles. This was not possible before this, reader and the writer never met or can interact with each other. People add to the story and connect with other people who want to discuss the topic.

v Digital journalism creates an opportunity for niche audiences, allowing people to have more options as to what to view and read.

v Digital journalism opens up new ways of storytelling; through the technical components of the new medium, digital journalists can provide a variety of media, such as audio, video, and digital photography.

v Online sources are able to provide quick, efficient, and accurate reporting of breaking news in a matter of seconds, providing society with a synopsis of events as they occur.

v News consumers must become Web literate and use critical thinking to evaluate the credibility of sources. Because it is possible for anyone to write articles and post them on the Internet, the definition of journalism is changing. Because it is becoming increasingly simple for the average person to have an impact in the news world through tools like blogs.

v The interaction between the writer and consumer is new, and this can be credited to digital journalism. There are many ways to get personal thoughts on the Web.

v This form of journalism has pushed journalists to reform and evolve. Older journalists who are not tech savvy have felt the blunt force of this. In recent months, a number of older journalists have been pushed out and younger journalists brought in because of their lower cost and ability to work in advanced technology settings. (wikipedia)

Ë        Digital journalism and traditional journalism

Many newspapers, such as the New York Times, have created online sites to remain competitive and have taken advantage of audio, video, and text linking to remain at the top of news consumers' lists. Indian news papers like The Times of India (www.timesofindia.com), Indian Express (www.indianexpress.com)and other publication also has their own news websites like The Hindu(www.thehindu.com).

Figure 1

                                      The Times of India Web Site

Newspapers and TV cable are at a disadvantage because they generally can only put together stories when an ample amount of detail and information are available. Often, newspapers have to wait for the next day, or even two days later if it is a late-breaking story, before being able to publish it. People are now able to find the news they want, when they want, without having to leave their homes or pay to receive the news.

The Internet has created a faster, cheaper way for people to get news out, thus creating the shift in ad sales from standard newspapers to the Internet. Many newspapers and individual print journalists have been forced out of business because of the popularity of digital journalism. Because of this, many people have viewed digital journalism as the death of journalism.

Students wishing to become journalists now need to be familiar with digital journalism in order to be able to contribute and develop journalism skills. Some of the quality require in digital journalism are…

They have to be quick,

Who can update their stories within minutes.

Able to infer credible information.

Some critics believe that newspapers should not switch to a solely Internet-based format, but instead keep a component of print as well as digital. in order to keep up with the transition from print to web.

Digital journalism allows citizens and readers the opportunity to join in on threaded discussions relating to a news article that has been read by the public. These threads can provide useful information to writers of digital journalism so that future articles can be pruned and improved to possibly create a better article the next time around.

The Internet has also given rise to more participation by people who are not normally journalists. Bloggers write on web logs or blogs. Traditional journalists often do not consider bloggers to automatically be journalists. This has more to do with standards and professional practices than the medium.

Other significant tools of on-line journalism are Internet forums, discussion boards and chats, especially those representing the Internet version of official media. Often this gives a unique chance to find new, alternative solutions to the conflict, but often the Internet is turned into the battlefield by contradicting parties creating endless "online battles." Internet radio and podcasts are other growing independent media based on the Internet.

Ë        Blogs

The increasing improvements in the field of digital journalism gave new rise to journalism in form of bloggers. Blogs can be seen as a new genre of journalism because of their “narrative style of news characterized by personalization” that moves away from traditional journalism’s approach, changing journalism into a more conversational and decentralized type of news. Blogging allows readers and journalists to be opinionated about the news and talk about it in an open environment. By allowing comments, the reader can interact with a story instead of just absorbing the words on the screen. According to one 2007 study, 15% of those who read blogs read them for news.

Ë  Citizen journalism

This allows anyone who wants to share something they deem important that has happened in their community. Individuals who are not professional journalists who present news through their blogs or websites are often referred to as citizen journalists. One does not need a degree to be a citizen journalist. Anyone can record events happening and send it anywhere they wish, or put it on their website.

For citizen journalism to be effective and successful there needs to be citizen editors, their role being to solicit other people to provide accurate information and to mediate interactivity among users.

The Internet also offers options such as personalized news feeds and aggregators, which compile news from different websites into one site. One of the most popular news aggregators is Google News. Others include Topix.net, and TheFreeLibrary.com. (wikipedia)

Conclusion:-

Digital journalism is very popular now days, people access news and information so easily and quickly, cheaply, and they can access what they want and whenever they want. It gives everybody the right of freedom of expression. But with all these there are several disadvantages also, like reliability and authenticity lacks in online journalism. It is threat to traditional journalism and print media.     

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Works Cited

Paxson., P. (2010). The Internet. In P. Paxson., & P. Paxson (Ed.), Mass communications and media studies : an introduction (pp. 144-148). London, 11 York Road, , London: The Continuum International Publishing Group Ltd.

wikipedia. (n.d.). wikipedia. Retrieved march 21, 2016, from wikipedia.org: www.wikipedia.com/digital_journalism

Wikipedia. (n.d.). Wikipedia.org. Retrieved March 17, 2016, from Wikipedia.org: www.wikipidea.com/journalism

Presentations Semester - 4

13. New Literature

Eros and thanatos in Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes from Parmar milan


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14. African Literature

Empire:Writing, History and Torture in waiting for Barbarian by ,waiting for barbarian J.m. coetzee from Parmar milan

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15. Mass media and Mass communication 

Types of communication from Parmar milan

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Culture in Things fall Apart - African Literature

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Department of English

Maharaja Krishnkumarsinhji Bhavnagar University

Name:-                                   Parmar Milankumar L.

Roll No. :-                              14

Enrollment no.:-                 pg14101026

Course name:-                     African Literature

Topic of an assignment:- Culture in Things fall Apart

Submitted to :-                     Dr. Dilip Barad,

                                                  Head of the department

                                                  Department of English (MKBU)

Introduction

“Literature is the mirror of the society” which reflects the society and so the culture. Culture is the texture of any society and it is inseparable part of any society. The Things Fall Apart is one of the greatest novels written by Nigerian post-colonial writer Chinua Achebe. It was first published in 1958. It is the first African novel to get global critical acclaim. It is staple book in schools throughout the Africa and widely read and studied in English speaking countries.  The title of the novel is taken from a line in the poem Second coming by W B Yeats. (Wikipedia)

The novel presents the culture of the Ibo community in Nigeria. Achebe himself belongs to this culture thus we get the more appropriate and truer picture to the culture of the Ibos. Throughout the novel he celebrates the strength of his own culture, with that he also points out the weaknesses of the Ibo community and point out where they really need changes.

Achebe gives exposure to his culture, which had….

 The great culture of Ibo community is an example in itself and how it is disturbed and disintegrated by the British imperialism and by missionaries. Various interpretation of the title Things fall apart are like   

“Things begin to fall apart in these nine villages Umuofia clan long before European colonist missionary culture inserts itself there.”

“When he accidently kills a clan man, things begin to fall apart in life of Okonkwo.

“So when some members of the Umuofia community unwittingly accepted the invitation and endorsed “strange faith” things fall apart for the Igbo people in Achebe’s novel.”

Achebe tried to show his own people the greatness and dignity of their culture which they have lost during the colonial period in his work Anthills of the savannah 1987 he wrote

“Igbo, had a philosophy of great depth and value and beauty that they had poetry above all they had dignity.” (Nnoromele, 2000)

This novel we have various pictures of Igbo society at the end of the 19^th century. Achebe presented to the word the positive as well as negative sides of the Igbo people .he discussed Igbo‘s customs, their political structure religions seasonal festival and ceremonies. In his comment on the novel,  Achebe said “the characters are normal people and their events are real human events”

Things Fall Apart is savage and tender; it blister with wit and radiates with the inner glow of hard earned compassion. It is disillusioned but passionately engaged solemn while being exuberant it is polemical but wise. There is not a shred of the congeal violence of cheap sentimentality: Achebe’s characters do not seek our permission to be human, they do not apologize for being complex.” (Achebe, 2001)

      Democratic system of government

Collective will

Tolerant of other culture

Forbid on killing each other

Igbos does not fight with each other because they are primitive, but because it’s a matter of existence in Nigeria thus there raise need of war as a matter of survival. The land in Nigeria is rocky and very poor and thus it could not support large number of people. Planting soon depleted and so villagers were forced to move further and further afield to find land which would high support them to continue life. As the population of Nigeria increased land and food were insufficient to provide everyone. The novel seems to map the turning point in the alteration from plenty to scarcity. Some times between generation of Okonkwo and his uncle Uchendu speaks of “the good days when a man had friends in distant clans nobody like fight” but at list it provides means of preservation. Some wars are inevitable if the clan is to survive “Neighboring clans try to avoid war with Umuofia because it is feared as a village powerfully war”

      Religion

Religion is a factor both in limiting war and supporting it when it is just. Igbo had a develop system of religion which works as effectively as Christianity. In a matter of religion, Achebe has given a close comparison between Christianity and Igbo religion. Before the British there was only religion in clan that was Igbo. But now they have to religion and both supports morality. For British it seems crazy to worship wooden idols as in chapter 19^th Mr. Brown says “you carve piece of would like that one, and you call it a god. But it is still a piece of wood.” (Achebe, 2001) and for Igbos it seems crazy to say that god has a son when he has no wife “you told us with your mouth that there was only a god. And now you talk about his son. He must have wife then.” (Achebe, 2001)

Both system of religion believe in only a one supreme god and both gods have messenger on earth. Supreme god or Umuofia is Chukwu and wooden idols are messenger of god for Igbos. With that it is also true that each member of the clan has its own personal god whom the call Chi- Luck. Whereas for Christianity there is one god, and Jesus Christ is the son of god and messenger of god. Both religion supports humanity and humility. Igbo speak to god through messenger because they do not want to worry the master, but they deal with Chukwu directly if all else fails. Both gods are vengeful only when disregarded. If person disobeys Chukwu, the god is to be feared, but Chukwu “need not to be feared by those who do his wills.” (Achebe, 2001) The good things about the Ibos in matter of religion is that they do not fight on the name of the god, as Christianity has killed more people on the name of crusade than any wars by Igbo. Achebe makes it clear that the demoralizing state of the political affairs in Africa is the result of European interference rather than simply the natural outgrown culture. (Rhoads, 1996)

      System of justice

Consist of nine Egwagwu each of the nine represents a village of the clam” one of the greatest crime man could commit was to unmask an Egwagwu in public “Igbos have a well established and effective system of district commissioner and court messengers. Dispute in clam which is not solved by each other then they can go before Egwugwu the greatest masked  spirits of the clan, played by the titled villagers. They hears and witness from both sides and give decision for example in novel we have..

in chapter ten – in case of Uzowoli, who beat his wife and his wife and children had gone away. In this matter Igwagwu try to assuage each side.

They warn and suggests Uzowoli “go to your in-laws with a pot of wine and beg your wife to return to you. It is not bravery when a man fights with a woman.” Here we discover two things at once that Egwagwu settles this types of disputes in clan with that we come to know about the a custom of wine pot in exchange of  woman. The duty of the Ewugwu is as Evil Forest says “our duty is not to blame this man or to praise that but to settle the dispute”

Okonkwo's gun accidently discharged and killed the son of Ezeudu. Even though this was an accident, it was viewed as an abomination in the land, for under no circumstances would someone kill a clansman. And according to the rules of the clan Okonkwo and his family has to leave in exile for seven years.

Igbo considered suicide as a worst crime against life, and it is unforgivable, no one dare to touch the body of the person, the funeral or burial is not given to the dead one. Even the family members or friends are not ready to touch Okonkwo’s body "That man was one of the greatest men in Umuofia. You drove him to kill himself and now he will be buried like a dog...”

  Week of peace

The life in Nigeria requires war like men for the survival of the clan. But the clan also knows how to control the war like spirits and anger of the men. For that Igbo decided to celebrate the week of the peace it’s a kind of the way to control these men. During the week of peace it was convinced to all that no violence should be allowed in clan even domestic violence is also not allowed. Though the men in clan must be the warrior and fierce to their enemy, but gentle to his own people. 

“Killing a member of his own clan is forbidden.”

“Okonkwo broke the week of peace, and was punished” on one afternoon in anger he had forgotten that it was the week of peace and beat her wife very heavily. It was forbidden even to beat family member however sever crime one has committed. When he violated the peace week by beating his youngest wife, which was an offense to the goddess, Okonkwo agreed to make offerings as demanded by the custom of Umuofia. In fact, he offered an additional pot of palm-wine, which was a distinct indication of genuine repentance and cooperation for the good of the community

Combination of Male and Female principles

The male is strong and war like and female is tender and supportive in times of adversity. Uncle Uchendu explains his explication of saying “Mother is the supreme.”

"It's true that a child belongs to its father. But when a father beats his child, it seeks sympathy in its mother's hut. A man belongs to his fatherland when things are good and life is sweet. But when there is sorrow and bitterness he finds refuge in his motherland. Your mother is there to protect you. She is buried there. And that is why we say that mother is supreme.” (Achebe, 2001)

In Igbo Culture the earth goddess acts as counter balance to male strength. Yet Igbos have not achieved the ideal balance of male and female. But they have control over the abusing of woman by man and even domestic violence is no longer regarded as virtue. Even in clan we find some elements which see male and female as equal. For instance tribe says that it is not bravery to fight with a woman, even Achebe depicts in-laws as objecting to treatment of a wife and as action to prevent domestic violence. Igbo includes men like Ndulue who treats their wives as equals: about Ndulue and his wife “it was always said that Ndulue and Ozoemena had one mind”. “he could not do anything without telling her” though many people in the clan sees him as weak. But by giving such example Achebe indirectly suggests that this is the great warrior whom the rest of tribe should admire. And that is the way to bring equality in society.

In contrasts to Ndulue there is aso men like Okonkwo whose war like anger makes them dangerous for the peace. For he is harsh with his children and wives, he often beats his wives to prove his strength. Even more in that cruelty he kills Ikmefuna only because he is afraid of being thought like his father. “his whole life was dominated by fear the fear of Failure and weakness.”

Even during the week of peace he beats his wife without any kind of fear not even goddess. Okonkwo’s friend Oberika sees “Okonkwo’s part in killing Ikmefuna’s death as crime against earth it is the kind of action for which the goddess wipes out the whole families.” And we see Okonkwo’s tragic destruction at the end of his life, the imposition ofone culture, social, political structure upon another and thus he had to kill himself.    

Economic system-

The Igbos have an economic system which redistributes wealth among the people to prevent supremacy of man over the wealth. In order to take any titles of the clan, a man has to give up a portion of the wealth to clan. Idemili title is the highest title in the land and most expensive too.

  Arts and Poetry

Achebe introduces various arts of the Ibos during the course of the novel. The chief among them are poetry, music, flute playing, decoration of walls and body, shaving hair patterns in various ceremonies. Music and dancing are the part of Igbo rituals. Story telling becomes means of inciting men to strength, of teaching about gods, or generally passing the culture.

Okonkwo encouraged his children with masculine and bloodshed stories, while the mother tells stories of animals and gods.

Igbos makes very good use of proverbs to show respect and wit in conversations Achebe says ‘for Igbos proverbs are the palm oil with which words are eaten.”

Some of the well known proverbs used in the novel are

“the sun will shine on those who stand before it shine on those who kneels under them”

To explain his culture Achebe use proverb “as elder said if a child washed hands he could eat with kings.” (Achebe, 2001) This proverb is the emblem of the Igbo’s culture, it says through the hard work even a person like Okonkwo can overcome his father’s ill repute to make himself “one of the greatest man of his time.” Proverbs also helps to sustain morality and virtue in tribe which is the backbone of the culture.

The system and institutions of the Igbos are not rigid like that of Britishers which do not allow any kind of change. Ibo culture allows changes where they needed and is progressive towards change. It has made many changes in the old, unnecessary, cruel, and unwanted customs for instance

“My father told me that he had been told that in the past a man who broke the peace was dragged on the ground through the village until he died. But after a while this custom was stopped because it spoiled the peace which it was meant to preserve." (Achebe, 2001)     

  Why Bruisers were able to destroy the old Igbo culture

Those who converts initially were those who have not been fully incorporated into clan life. The first woman who convert is a woman who four times gave birth to twins and thrown away just because of Igbo believe twin child as devils or ghost, which will bring destruction to the society. But Christianity accepts a woman with twins. Outcasts, osu, and down trodden of the society sees that Christianity receives twins and thus they will also receives them also. Other like Nwoye, who bored of his father’s harsh behavior and shocked by the murder of Ikmefuna finds brotherhood in poetry of Christianity. This passage is taken from the end of Chapter 20 during the conversation between Obierika and Okonkwo

“Does the white man understand our custom about land?” “How can he when he does not even speak our tongue? But he says that our customs are bad; and our own brothers who have taken up his religion also say that our customs are bad. How do you think we can fight when our own brothers have turned against us? The white man is very clever. He came quietly and peaceably with his religion. We were amused at his foolishness and allowed him to stay. Now he has won our brothers, and our clan can no longer act like one. He has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart.” (p. 129)

This entire paragraph can be seen as Achebe’s views on the colonialism.

To conclude this discussion on the culture, Igbo like any other culture in the world has its own reputation. And we can see the culture in better way to being in culture. Achebe has presented his culture to the world through the language which is not his own. Like many other cultures Igbo has its strength and weakness too. If the Igbos are not civilized than still there is culture with which they were and are living, but the intervention of the Christianity has fractured the integrity, unity, dignity, pride. Oberika rightly observed “Now he has won our brothers, and our clan can no longer act like one. He has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart.” (p. 129)

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Works Cited

Achebe, C. (2001). Things Fall Apart. London, 80 strand,, England: penguin Classics.

Nnoromele, P. C. (2000). Jstore. Retrieved March 13, 2016, from http://www.jstor.org: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25112519

Rhoads, D. A. (1996, september). jstore. Retrieved march 13, 2016, from Jstore: http://www.jstor.org/stable/524733

Wikipedia. (n.d.). Wikipedia.org. (Wikipedia, Editor) Retrieved march 17, 2016, from www.wikipedia.org: http://en.wikipedia.org/Things_Fall_Apart