Multimedia incorporated with online journalism brings journalism to a whole new level. It has already shown itself to be popular with users with online publications where people can post their comments on the site. For the most part I don’t think people want to be passive when it comes to informing themselves. Because the capabilities of the users are changing, there has been a shift in the media towards Online.
When users read an article that upsets them, impresses them or moves them, they are going to want to react. And Journalism is about prompting reaction in the world.
Multimedia in journalism gets the user involved and once they are involved real understanding of can take place. A good example is what it’s like to get a child to learn something. You can say things to him all you want but if you want him to understand you go for a reaction. The same goes for the classroom setting; being able to get involved shows their intelligence and input are respected.
The disadvantages of multimedia incorporation comes down to the user’s ability to stay on track with what’s relevant and realize that multimedia is there to enhance the primary content, not create short cuts.
Allowing users to provide feedback can also contribute to further understanding for other users. A journalist can do the research and interviews to write an article but that doesn’t make them professionals. According to Online Journalism by James Foust, there will always be someone in a journalist’s audience who knows more about the topic then the journalist. In other words, there is always something to be learned from the audience and multimedia are narrowing the gap between the journalist and the user.
