Communication Technology & Breaking Local News

    In April 2012, Greenland, New Hampshire police office approached the home of a known drug dealer.  Before they had a chance to knock on the door, they were met with gun fire and several of the officers were shot.  One of them, being the Greenland Police Chief was mortally wounded.

    News if this incident traveled quickly and with this being local breaking news, there was a need for immediate information. WMUR, the local New Hampshire news station provided a streaming update feed. I spent that evening watching the feed and scouring the internet for any snippets of information that I could find.

    The following link provides the updates from that streaming feed that went on from the time of the incident through the time of the memorial:

http://livewire.wmur.com/Event/Law_Enforcement_Memorial_For_Chief_Michael_Maloney?Page=0

    In addition to the stream of information provided online, there were videos and news reports on the local news channel as well. Without the current technology, this news would have been limited to the news stories of the past and the information would not have reached the masses until most likely the late night newscast and following day's newspaper.

    The news coverage followed up the story with live coverage of the memorial service. In the past, this type of coverage would be limited to the most famous, but with current technology, this is possible for any event of interest. It was an incredible event to witness in real time on television.  

    The following videos shows police officers marching and then the motorcycle cavalcade.

    Both of these videos were posted to YouTube by non-news media personnel. This gives an idea of what the news agencies are up against. When private individuals are providing the media, the news outlets are pressed to provide more in-depth information. This is a huge shift from how news has been typically reported.

    In today's world, the news professionals have to be fast and accurate, because the masses will provide information as well. In order to remain relevant, the news professionals need to provide up to the minute information, otherwise they will no longer be the go-to source for information.

Communication Technology & Breaking News in the Present

    Just last year, the news reported a bombing at the Boston Marathon. This event had incredible news coverage from the moment it happened and through the time that the bomber was eventually captured. This is a fantastic example of how much news media coverage has changed in recent years.  The news channels stayed with the story around the clock.

    There were many sources of information. One could follow the news as it was happening on Twitter. CNN created the following blog that posted information about the event and provided updates as they became available:

http://cnnpressroom.blogs.cnn.com/2013/04/15/cnn-coverage-of-deadly-blasts-near-the-boston-marathon-finish-line/

    Maybe the most impressive coverage was provided online as well as on television was the helicopter coverage of the hunt for the bomber. The following video shows the infrared footage where  Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was hiding inside of a boat.  The footage showed in real-time how investigators went about uncovering the boat with a robot and eventually capturing the suspect.

    Without the advances in technology, this coverage would never have been possible.  This example demonstrates how communication technology can provide real time information when there is breaking news rather than waiting for a second hand report from a reporter at a news desk with another field reporter on site.

    Today, thanks to advances in communication technology, we can see the news as it happens rather than waiting for the recap after the fact.

Communication Technology & Breaking News in the Past

     If you're old enough to remember the events that changed the world on September 11th, 2001, you will remember exactly where you were and what you were doing at the moment when you first heard that an airplane crashed into the World Trade Center in New York City. Now, take a moment to consider what you did next.

    I was at work in a large cubicle farm and a friend came by my desk to alert me of the news. We huddled her cubicle as she had a radio at her desk. We listened intently trying to make sense of what we were hearing. We also very likely logged onto CNN.com, which may have been difficult due to the increased network traffic making the radio the better option over the internet. The next few days were spent glued to the television to see the footage and understand the magnitude of what was happening as survivors were being rescued from the wreckage.  The following video is the breaking news broadcast from CNN.com:

    Today, the media communication is much different than it was more than ten years ago. If something as significant were happening today, the radio would not be my first choice of media outlet. I would likely hear about the tragedy on Facebook and would launch Twitter and search by a hashtag to find the up to the minute or even second update on what was happening.  I may or may not launch a news site to see what was being formally reported.

    Information is far more accessible than it was only ten years ago. The advances in communication are significant and have seriously impacted the news industry. In today's world the news industry has a tough job to get their reporters on site as quickly as possible to remain a reliable source of information and there is no longer any time to vet the information that is being gathered.

Communication Technology & Journalists

   One of the biggest impacts of communication technology as been to the professional journalist. These professionals have had to adjust how they reach their audience in order to remain current in their profession.

   In the old days, the journalist would gather information about the event on which they are reporting and would have the luxury of time to do background and fact checking. This no longer holds true as each news outlet races to be the first to report that breaking news. Today, the best journalist are held to a very high standard of getting the news out first. This has been very difficult for these professionals as it eliminates that time available for verification of the facts.

   The Journalist is also challenged by the armchair reporter. That blogger that happens to think that they know what is going on with the world. They might not have any solid education or background for being a reporter, but they can gain many followers if they share information that is interesting and relevant to the readers. This creates serious competition for the professional journalist.

    The images below display some of the biggest news outlet that employ the best and brightest in the journalism field. These news agencies have been impacted by the changes in technology and in how they are sharing the news.  If you were to Google search Fox News, the first logo that appears includes ".com" as it's a very important part of their online presence.  Every news outlet must, at a minimum, maintain a website that is constantly maintained and kept current.

  

In addition to the news media website, social media is a critical piece of the media's online presence. Without a social networking presence, not many will find their way to the outlet's website.  The journalists need to be aware of what information that they are sharing via these media portals. Journalists much be active on Twitter as many people want real time news and Twitter is the right outlet for the news that is happening right now.

Long gone are the days of the report taking the time to spend hours of their time researching news, but rather they are keeping up on social media and other online tools in order to stay current with the technology that is driving their profession.

Communication Technology & Business

From this...

To this... 

    All  businesses have been impacted by the changes in communication as a result of technology. Some workers will joke about the "good old days" when office memos or written letters that were typed on a typewriter.  Today a typewriter is a rare sighting in an office environment. Now, most business is conducted via email that can be managed on a computer or a smartphone. No longer is there a need to type letters via that typewriter and send them by mail or a courier.

    The changes in communication have not only have had an impact on the devices that we use to communication, but also have dramatically increased the speed in which we communicate. In the past, one would have to take the time to draft a letter and wait for it to arrive at the intended recipient, which could mean several days. Now, one would write an email that is delivered in seconds. 

    Everything happens more quickly now that communication is moving at the speed of light. Business deals are quicker now that the negotiation can happen in real time versus waiting for the mail.  Everything is happening right now instead of in a few days. 

    It's interesting to think about what would happen the day that the internet went dark and we no longer had these capabilities? How would we adapt?  How long would it take to go back to how things were with letters and the telephone?  Needless to say, it would be challenging at best.

Communication Technology & Education

    When considering new media and it's impact on communicators, one of the first that comes to mind is educators. All levels of teachers have had to adjust their communication style to be current with the times. This ranges from preschool right through post-graduate professors.

    Long gone are the days when an elementary school teacher was limited to the paper memo sent home in the child's folder. Now teachers are sending electronic newsletters via email. Some are creating class website where they are able to share what is happening in the classroom. This information could include the curriculum as well as class photos and even videos. The advances in communication are also allowing parents more access to the teachers via email rather than waiting for a return call from a teacher or sending a note into the classroom with your child. There are changes in the classroom as well. The chalkboards have been replaced with whiteboards at a minimum, but more likely electronic boards where the teacher can have pre-designed media to share with the class or even print what was placed on the board. The following link shows an example of an electronic board that can be used in the classroom:

Panasonic Panaboard UB-7325 - Interactive whiteboard - Wired - USB - PC

   As for the changes at a higher education level, not so many years ago, education was limited to the classroom or correspondence courses. Today, there are many online courses that have had an impact on educators. These educators that once spent their time with students face-to-face now have had to adjust their style to manage online courses. These traditional educators might not choose to teach the online courses, but they still needed to adjust how they communicated with their students. Instead of posting office hours for calls or visit, these professionals now had to made choices as to how they could communicate with their students -- if they would provide an email address and what their terms were when it came to email as many people have the expectation that emails would have immediate replies.  Therefore, it became necessary to provide policies as to how quickly emails would be answered. In addition to these changes, came the changes of technology in the classroom. No more overhead projects, but instead electronic projects that would connect to a computer.

From thisTo This   

    All levels of educators have definitely been impacted by advances in electronic media and communication. Many professionals had to adapt to these changes in order to remain relevant in their careers. Hopefully, many found the changes exciting and that the changes in technology provided ways to improve the classroom experience.