2007 Ed Beardsley Memorial Scholarship winner

Congratulations!

The 2007 Ed Beardsley Memorial Scholarship winner is Kelsea Brennan-Wessels. Kelsea, who will be a senior at The American University of Rome, is the daughter of Guild members Don Wessels (advertising) and Jan Brennan (news). 

The Internet’s Influence on Journalism and Society

Kelsea Brennan- Wessels

As the Internet becomes more popular as a source for information, it is taking away readers and advertisers, and ultimately revenue, from newspapers. Salaries may suffer, and jobs could be cut. Journalism must change to adapt to the new technology.

On the plus side, quick and easy access to information can make a journalist’s job easier. But anyone who relies on the Internet for information must beware of its quality.

In considering its influence on the public, we must examine the relevance of journalism in society; in our case, a democratic one. The role that journalists play is to keep the people informed so that they may make educated decisions when voting. Journalists act as watchdogs for society, not only keeping a check on the government but other organizations as well.

As first glance it would seem the Internet would support this watchdog role, since in true democratic fashion, everyone now can have their say. The Internet levels society, giving both journalists and non-journalists alike equal access to a worldwide audience.

But is this always a good thing? Information can be manipulated by a variety of influences. Take advertising, for example. Although financially crucial to a newspaper, television station or Web site, there is the risk of advertisers influencing the content of the media. A media organization may purposely leave out certain information that may be detrimental to the advertiser’s revenue.*

Luckily, most journalists hold values that go against bias and conflict of interest. They strive to expose all necessary information to the public, and the public trusts journalists to do just that.

On the Internet, the public must sift through information provided by both professional -journalists and anyone with an agenda or an opinion, sometimes unaware of which is which. Journalistic values are not held by every person who publishes online, and the people are constantly exposed to biased information.

‘This is bad for society. Voters can be influenced by a Web page created by a political party, or simply a political blogger.

I personally write a blog for the Providence Journal. I discuss the ups and downs of life in Italy and give tips to travelers. Despite my interest in becoming a serious journalist, for now I’m just a student voicing her opinion. Someone may read my blog post about Prime Minister Berlusconi and base his opinion on my ramblings.

The Internet audience is continuously growing. As more people get their information from a variety of incredible sources, properly informed decisions will be more difficult to make. Society may end up voting for which presidential candidate has the better YouTube video.

*This can also include political advertisers, who influence media organizations for political leverage.