Four Essential things every Aspiring Digital Journalist needs to know

There are currently an estimated 1.74 billion websites on the Internet, according to statistics published this past January. Although it’s impossible to determine the percent of them that are dedicated to news and information, it’s certain that a healthy number are. Today, every major print, television and radio news outlet has a website that’s updated frequently throughout the day. Then there are countless news websites not affiliated with other outlets.

Add to this niche news sites, like those with a focus on entertainment, technology and sports news as well as neighborhood and community news sites, and there are an infinite number of stories being told.

At the same time, many universities and other institutions are preparing tomorrow’s journalists for careers in the Fourth Estate, as it’s often called. While print journalism might be continuing to fade away, digital news is booming. It’s being investigated, written, recorded (accompanying video is the new standard), and posted online. You probably have a number of late-breaking headlines in your Twitter feed right now.

If journalism in the digital environment is your calling, here are four things you need to know.

Gathering the facts is a major part of the job.

Those who grew up or lived in Canada during the 1970s, 1980s and early-1990s knows well the name Eric Malling, a journalist who was highly regarded for his research and in-depth investigative reports on Canadian television, most notably as co-host of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC)’s flagship newsmagazine The Fifth Estate.

Throughout his career, Eric Malling covered all types of stories with tenacity and a relentless demand for detail. What made his reports so compelling is the level of investigative detail he put into each, investing hours of time and interviewing numerous sources in order to craft his stories. His fact-gathering approach and ability to convey them to his audience in an extremely engaging way not only earned him a legion of loyal viewers who considered his work the gold standard in reporting, it also earned him numerous awards for excellence in journalism.

It’s crucial to verify all information.

Being truthful has always been front and center when you’re talking about journalistic ethics, and that hasn’t changed. Everything that’s reported as fact should indeed be factual. That’s why journalists like Eric Malling, who took the time to confirm the accuracy of details, enjoyed a high level of credibility with their public.

For journalists in today’s fast-paced culture, there’s a risk of reporting what’s been termed ‘fake news’ when proper vetting hasn’t taken place. This includes reporting “incorrect facts and information that is dangerous for society and democracy,” writes Kimberley Lestieux. “Spreading these kinds of rumors can have an impact on users who aren’t necessarily responsible online and don’t verify a source, an information.

You need to be social media-savvy.

Today’s online journalists use Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and other platforms heavily not only to gather information but also to post real-time updates, headlines and links to their stories.

Interestingly, a 2014 survey of several journalists and public relations professionals and their use of social media conducted by ING Groep, N.V., a Dutch financial corporation, reported that, “One-third of journalists said social media posts are not a reliable source of information. Despite this, half of journalists said social media were their main source of information.”

You must be able to work within the medium.

Digital platforms have completely changed the face of journalism. In the digital environment reporters need to know how to write and post content—whether text, audio or video or a combination of all three—that works well on a web page. Also, in a round-the-clock news cycle, there are continual updates, so the pace is now faster than ever before.

“People can use the internet to access news and events 24 hours a day,” writes Francesca Turauskis. “They also like to fit their reading into busy lives, so content is shorter than it used to be: Articles are not as long, GIFs can be glanced at in a few seconds and places such as the BBC now offer 15 second snippets of longer interviews.”