Internet changing journalism, but not as predicted: Study

It was believed at one point that the Internet would democratise the media, offering many new voices, stories and perspectives. Yet the news agenda actually seems to be narrowing, with many websites primarily packaging news that is produced elsewhere, according to the Project for Excellence in Journalism's Annual State of the News Media report.

Two stories -- The war in Iraq and The 2008 presidential election campaign, represented more than a quarter of the stories in newspapers, on television and online last year, the project found.

Take away Iraq, Iran and Pakistan, and news from all of the other countries in the world combined filled up less than six per cent of the American newshole, the report released on Sunday said.

The news side of the business is dynamic, but the growing ability of news consumers to find what they want without being distracted by advertising is what's making the industry go through some tough times.

"Although the audience for traditional news is maintaining itself, the staff for any of these news organisations tend to be shrinking," said Tom Rosenstiel, the project's director.

Recent decision of NBC News to make David Gregory host of a nightly programme on MSNBC while keeping his job as White House correspondent is an example of how people are being asked to do much more, he said.

News is less a product, like the day's newspaper or a nightly newscast than a service that is constantly being updated, he said. Last week, for instance, The New York Times posted its first report linking New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer to a prostitution ring in the early afternoon, and it quickly became the day's dominant story.

Only a few years ago, newspaper websites were primarily considered an online morgue for that day's newspaper, Rosenstield said.

"The afternoon newspaper is in a sense being reborn online," he said.

A separate survey found journalists are, to a large degree, embracing the changes being thrust upon them. A majority say they like doing blogs and that they appreciate reader feedback on their stories. When they are asked to do multimedia projects, most journalists find the experience enriching instead of feeling overworked, he said. The newsroom is increasingly being seen as the most experimental place in the business, the report found.

Most news websites are no longer final destinations. The report found that many users insist that the sites, and even individual pages offer plenty of options to navigate elsewhere for more information. Rosenstiel said he's even able to reach Washington Post stories through the New York Times website.