Evolving Journalism: Adapting from Print to Digital in a Rapidly Changing World

by Yelyzaveta Basharova

Journalism is constantly changing

50 years ago, journalists relied on paper, pencils and typewriters. The digital revolution has changed every aspect of the process, from gathering information to disseminating it. Digital cameras, the internet, social media and mobile devices have transformed the way news is gathered, processed and disseminated.

With technological advances, the speed of information dissemination has increased significantly. While 50 years ago a journalist might have had several days to write and publish an article, now the timeframe has been reduced to hours or even minutes. This requires journalists to react quickly and analyse information quickly.

Donald Cowey, ex-journalist said: "Of course, so much of journalism happens instantly now, from recording to broadcast, that shorthand is no longer needed. I understand why short-hand was left behind. I think it's an invaluable skill because, in the 1980s, there weren't even affordable audio recorders. They appeared 15-20 years later. Then all journalists had voice recorders, which meant that taking notes, which I did shorthand, became less necessary. "

With the development of the Internet and social media, journalism has become more multimedia. Textual materials are accompanied by photos, videos, audio files, graphics and interactive elements. This expands the possibilities of transmitting information and makes it more visual and accessible.

Donald Cowey said: “The internet was the absolute game changer, but it was only in the early 2000s that everyone realised that this is a place where people are going to get their news now. People were active on computers more than on phones.

“Before, there was only print journalism. The newspapers in question were not even adapted for radio or TV journalism. The training was based on how to prepare news for newspapers.

“It was all about writing. And anyone who might have wanted to become a radio journalist would have come later. But a one-year college course did not provide any education for broadcasting, as it does today when we talk about broadcasting, audio and video, blogs, the Internet and everything else. Back then, it was newspapers.”

In the past, journalists had a lot of power in shaping public opinion because they were one of the main sources of information. However, with the development of the Internet and social media, the influence of traditional media has declined, and now public opinion is often shaped not only by professional journalists but also by ordinary citizens through blogs, forums and social media.

Donald Cowey said: “Good journalism will remain good journalism and all the principles should apply everywhere. I think if I was teaching journalism nowadays I would say to double check your information, make sure with a few people that it is accurate, don't break the law, don't feed false information about people, which has undoubtedly become difficult as those who are forced to spread false information for their own gain have become smarter and smarter. So all this makes the job very complicated and you need to check everything you hear and believe.

“Like for example with the campaign for independence, and people being split 50/50 on who wants to leave and stay in the union. Yet 99 per cent of newspapers and radios favour the union, so it is very hard to get information that is neutral and balanced, which is why all the unofficial news on platforms like Instagram and Facebook have a very important role to play, as all the information that powerful people don't want to show still gets out there by other people. So the internet has been fantastic from that point of view.”

In today's world, journalists must be ready to adapt quickly to new technologies and approaches, as well as to continuous learning and development.

Donald Cowey said: "A lot of journalists, when the internet became so dominant in the early 2000s, they didn't want to change, they just wanted to write for the paper, they didn't want to think about that new stuff.

"When television and radio came on the scene, everyone said it was the end of newspapers, but it wasn't, newspapers just had to learn to adapt and accommodate, and I think some people thought it would be the same with the internet, when it's not.

Newspapers are pieces of paper you hold in your hands, and I think they will probably disappear in the next 10-15 years."

It’s suspected that newspapers will stop their existence because Scotland is pushing against all the possible pollution and takes care of the beautiful nature so they will need to stop cutting trees for paper. And the second one is that you can change the words in any online newspaper which is good and bad profit sometimes.

For example, in Ukraine, all the printed newspaper industries died about 20 years ago. Physical newspapers in Ukraine have undergone significant changes in the 2000s, driven by the digital revolution, economic factors and changes in consumer habits. The decline in demand for printed newspapers led to the closure of newspaper kiosks and shops that specialised in selling the press. However, many traditional newspapers have created their online versions to remain competitive and meet the needs of modern audiences