Rethinking the New Technology of Journalism

Watch “PSU Press Presents: Communication in the Disinformation Age,” a virtual author event hosted by the Press on April 8th, 2022 with Ashley Rose Mehlenbacher, Seong Jae Min, Billie Murray, and moderator Mary E. Stuckey:

News organizations have always sought to deliver information faster and to larger audiences. But when clicks drive journalism, the result is often simplistic, sensational, and error-ridden reporting. In this book, Seong Jae Min argues in favor of “slow journalism,” a growing movement that aims to produce more considered, deliberate reporting that better serves the interests of democracy.

Min explores the role of technology in journalism from the printing press to artificial intelligence, documenting the hype and hope associated with each new breakthrough as well as the sometimes disappointing—and even damaging—unintended consequences. His analysis cuts through the discussion of clickbait headlines and social-media clout chasing to identify technological bells and whistles as the core problem with journalism today. At its heart, Min maintains, traditional shoe-leather reporting—knocking on doors, talking to people, careful observation and analysis—is still the best way for journalism to serve its civic purpose.

Thoughtful and engaging, Rethinking the New Technology of Journalism is a compelling call for news gathering to return to its roots. Reporters, those studying and teaching journalism, and avid consumers of the media will be interested in this book.

“A highly readable journey through a history of technological innovations and journalism that argues against investing in the “new” for its own sake. A fascinating development in the scholarship around slow journalism.”—Megan Le Masurier, editor of Slow Journalism

“This well-researched plea for deliberately reflective journalism practice is bound to inspire debate and productive follow-up inquiry.”—R. Pagano, Choice

Seong Jae Min is Associate Professor of Communication Studies at Pace University. He is the author of As Democracy Goes, So Does Journalism: Evolution of Journalism in Liberal, Deliberative, and Participatory Democracy.

List of Illustrations

Acknowledgements

Introduction: Journalism and Technology

Between Technological Determinism and Social Construction of Technology

1. From the Printing Press to Blockchain: The Social Shaping of Journalism Technologies

The Printing Press and the Birth of Newspapers

The Telegraph and the Inverted Pyramid Style of Writing

The Long and Winding Road to Newsroom Computerization

The Internet, the Death of Newspapers, and New Journalistic Norms

Virtual and Augmented Realities: The Empathy Machine?

Will Artificial Intelligence Save or Destroy Journalism?

Is Blockchain a New Savior of Journalism?

2. The Journalistic Field and the Narrative of Techno-Journalism

The Unstable Journalistic Field

What They Talk About When They Talk About Technology

Keeping Up with Technologies

The Crumbling Boundaries of the Journalistic Field

3. Journalism, Going Slow

The Slow Movement

Slowness in Journalism

Slow and Mindful Innovation

Innovation with and Beyond Technology

Culture, Norms, and People in Newsroom Innovation

Conclusion: In Search of Journalism’s Identities

Notes

Bibliography

Index

Download a PDF sample chapter here: Introduction

Communication Studies

           History of Communication

           Media Arts