Traditional journalism stories use a liner pattern of construction. The journalist decides the order in which the content should be presented and it is given to and consumed by the user in that line.
However, in online journalism the consumption pattern is determined by the audience. Users have the power to go where they please. They can link from information chunk to audio file, to database, to graphic, to text summary, to video, to photo, to archive, and then disappear through an external link to another site.
This pattern of consuming does not follow the linear fashion of traditional news outlets. Therefore, online journalism has created its own style of story construction based on a non-linear pattern.
Chunking a story maximises its potential readership. Stories can be very complex, encompassing may different elements, themes and angles. Most users of the internet want to obtain specific information and fast (for more see [Online Journalism: Accessing]). Segmenting the story allows the reader to identify the parts of the story containing the information they want to know.
There are no definite rules as to how a story should be chunked and how those chunks should be arranged. However Ward suggests consideration should be given to:
(2002 :126)
The story should drive how it is segmented. Each individual chunk should be able to stand alone – read in isolation and still be comprehendible.
The inverted pyramid style of traditional journalism still has a place in online journalism, however it need not be strictly adhered to and is best applied in a dismantled fashion. Within the chunk, the most important information should be placed at the top followed by the secondly important information and so on. Again, the sentence should begin with the most important information.
The web can be linear just the same as broadcast and print. The audience are used to the linear fashions of traditional journalism and so feel more comfortable consuming news in that way. The medium of online journalism is used primarily for its immediacy rather than its ability to present information differently (Ward, 2002: 125). The global reach of online journalism means people overseas who cannot obtain a copy of their local paper can access it on the internet. They want the story exactly as it appears in the printed copy including its linear fashion.
Because of this, online journalists have to understand both concepts and be skilled enough to present information in both forms.
Alysen, B., Sedorkin, G., Oakham, M. & Patching, R. (2003) REPORTING IN A MULTIMEDIA WORLD Australia: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1865089109
De Wolk, R. (2001) INTRODUCTION TO ONLINE JOURNALISM: Publishing News and Information, USA: Allyn and Bacon. ISBN 0205286895
Herbert, J. (2000) JOURNALISM IN THE DIGITAL AGE: Theory and Practice for Broadcast, Print and On-line Media Oxford: Focal Press. ISBN 0240515897
Ward, M. (2002) Journalism Online Oxford: Focal Press. ISBN 0240516109
Wilson, L. (2004) 'More Control, But Not Clarity In Non-linear Web Stories', Newspaper Research Journal, vol. 25, no. 2, p.83 [Online] Availible: ProQuest Humanities
Gemma Kinslow 19:51, 27 Aug 2004 (EST)
