‘In the next two years, we are going to redefine journalism. I think it is one of the most exciting time to be a journalist.’
Neil McIntosh, head of the Guardian Online for nine years, is optimistic. Launched in 1999, the guardian.co.uk has become the world’s leading online newspaper with more than 25 million unique users last month.
McIntosh participated in the diversification of the paper with the digital revolution. Along with the media’s transformation, the Guardian is moving its offices to a new multimedia building in Kings Cross.
The content of online journalism has changed a lot since its creation. Audio broadcasting has become extremely popular with more than 1.5 million views a month. The Guardian produces its own videos, controlling in this way the information it moderates.
40% of its audience is American. McIntosh says that ‘the Bushy era and elections’ boosted the sales overseas, The Guardian represents an alternative option to the foreign media.
One of the most successful areas in the website is the comment feature which has gone from 1.5 million to 10 million users in two and a half years.
McIntosh says about the death of newspapers: ‘We are all getting ready for a tough year; the next two years will certainly be grim and there will be lost jobs, however the regression will mainly hit regional papers.’
To the allegations that the audience is slowly replacing journalists, McIntosh responds that the public’s trust towards journalists is still there. In the digital era, the borders between audience and the media blur, but the revolution in journalism is going online.
McIntosh, who just landed a job at The Wall Street Journal Europe website, says: ‘‘Murdock is pretty webby, this is an occasion to build up something.’ He also added: ‘We are going bloggers' hunting at the start of year’. Aspiring journalists, watch out.
Picture credit to Sophie Borazanian.
No comments:
Post a Comment