Cyberspace

Online journalism is journalism more or less produced for the World Wide Web (unlike print, radio and
television journalism) .It exploits the unique characteristics of the Internet. A network of networks,
joining many government, university and private computers together and providing an infrastructure for
the use of E-mail, bulletin boards, file archives, hypertext documents, databases and other computational
resources The vast collection of computer networks which form and act as a single huge network for
transport of data and messages across distances which can be anywhere from the same office to anywhere
in the world.
First conceived by the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) of the United States government in
1969.The ARPANet was a project funded primarily by U.S. military sources such as the Department of
Defense. Journalism is any non-fiction or documentary narrative that reports or analyzes facts and events
firmly rooted in time (either topical or historical) which are selected and arranged by reporters, writers,
and editors to tell a story from a particular point of view. Journalism has traditionally been published in
print, presented on film, and broadcast on television and radio. "Online" includes many venues. Most
prominent is the World Wide Web
Distinguishing characteristics of online journalism as compared to traditional journalism
Online = real time
Online journalism can be published in real time, updating breaking news and events as they happen.
Nothing new here -- we've had this ability with telegraph, teletype, radio, and TV.
Online = shifted time
Online journalism also takes advantage of shifted time. Online publications can publish and archive
articles for viewing now or later, just as print, film, or broadcast publications can. WWW articles can be
infinitely easier to access, of course.
Online = multimedia
Online journalism can include multimedia elements: text and graphics (Newspapers and books), plus
sound, music, motion video, and animation (Broadcast radio, TV, film), 3D, etc.
Online = interactive
Online journalism is interactive. Hyperlinks represent the primary mechanism for this interactivity on the
Web, linking the various elements of a lengthy, complex work, introducing multiple points of view, and
adding depth and detail. A work of online journalism can consist of a hyperlinked set of web pages; these
pages can themselves include hyperlinks to other web sites. Traditional journalism guides the reader
through a linear narrative. The online journalist lets readers become participants, as they click their way
through a hyperlinked set of pages. Narrative momentum and a strong editorial voice pull a reader
through a linear narrative. With interactivity, the online journalist can pre- determine, to a certain extent,
the reader/participant's progress through the material, but manifold navigation pathways, branching
options, and hyperlinks encourage the reader/participant to continue to explore various narrative threads
assembled by the reporter/writer/editor. A web of interlinked pages is also an ideal mechanism to give
reader/participants access to a library of source documents and background information that form the
foundation of an extensive journalistic investigation. Readers/participants can respond instantly to
material presented by the online journalist; this response can take several forms. Email to the reporter or
editor resembles the traditional letter to editor of print publications, but email letters can be published
much sooner online than in print. Online journalists can also take advantage of threaded discussions that
let readers respond immediately to an article, and to the comments of other readers, in a bulletin boardstyle
discussion that can be accessed at any time. Readers can become participants in the ongoing cocreation
of an editorial environment that evolves from the online journalist's original reporting and the
initial article. Blogs (short for "Web log", a Web-based journal) make this easy.