Interaction of Sense, Reference and Structure in Contemporary Journalistic Style

ABSTRACT. The mainstay of the paper is formed by an analysis of the wide usage of the Internet by news organizations, the complexity of online news consumption, online news economics, and determinants of media consumption. The main objective of this paper is to explore and describe citizen participation in producing news content, the routines and values of journalistic culture, the underlying values of journalism, and the growing importance of social networks to news organizations.Keywords: online news interactions, social networks, media consumption1. IntroductionScholarly research reveals strong correlations between the quality and breadth of news coverage, the experience of online news interactions, the sharing of news content via social networking tools, the blog and its interactivity, and the rise of online news use. In this paper I am particularly interested in exploring news media's use of the Internet, the proliferation of media choices through digital channels, the economics of online news consumption, and continued growth in online usage.2. News Media's Use of the InternetChyi and Lee note that most newspapers have difficulties monetizing online usage1 : users prefer news delivered in print format2 (online news is perceived as a less-than-desirable alternative to print newspapers). Gender affects online news consumption, preference predicts online news use as well as paying intent, and online news' print counterpart interacts with different aspects of online consumption. A holistic understanding of online news consumption must extend beyond news use to include preference as well as intention to pay. [...] Given free online news offerings in most cases, consumers do not always use what they prefer. And they are not always willing to pay for what they use.3 Domingo et al. put it that journalism is a social phenomenon with a high level of internal differentiation: the arenas of public communication are dominated by the media,4 whereas the media imply interpretation patterns by providing comments and opinions (mediated and interpersonal communication work together to disseminate news in a society). The development of audience participation opportunities in online newspapers redefines journalistic culture, values and practices (audience participation in the media can take different forms). Computer technology and the Internet allow users to produce and distribute news items on the basis of their observations or opinions.5 Chyi and Huang investigate the demand relationship between newspapers' print and online products, which determines how newspapers prioritize their dual products when engaged in multiplatform news delivery: online and print newspapers should be examined as product items within one newspaper's cross-media portfolio (print newspapers may serve as the content provider for their online counterparts).63. The Growing Importance of Social Networks to News OrganizationsLowrey conceptualizes Hogging as a budding occupational community that can have an impact on the system of occupations, and which is itself shaped within this system: bloggers are dependent on mainstream news media for original reporting, and tend to eschew the professional routines of institutional journalists (bloggers are dependent on journalists for most news information). Lowrey asserts that online journalists' understanding of the blogging form8 serves journalism. Journalism changes because it is shaped by external constraints, whereas decision-makers react to constraints, external objective constraints and benefits may shape journalists' efforts to change professional knowledge and practice, whereas the journalist's abstract knowledge is embodied in their news judgment (the inference process for news information work is related to the ability to gather news).The organization of production is the most fundamental distinction between journalism and blogging. Differences in content, work processes, tone, values and format are symptoms of this underlying structural difference. …