The Cyber-Newsroom: A case study of the journalistic paradigm in a news narrative

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The Cyber-Newsroom A case study of the
journalistic paradigm in a news narratives
journey from a newspaper to cyberspace

• Sue Robinson
• March 2007

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Case Study The Spokesman-Review

• Enterprise investigation/coverage of Spokane,
  Wash., Mayor Jim West
• May 2005-December 2005

PRINT -- 250 stories -- 200 photos
WEB -- All the print stories and photos -- 38
audio, 12 video clips -- 38 documents (internal
memos, etc.) -- 428 reader comments in forum --
78 reader comments in chats -- Access to
archives -- Links to Technorati, Google
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S. Smith (personal communication)

• The paper wanted to establish a culture of
  transparency. Putting the background material
  online was just good journalism. We didnt want
  to hold anything back. We wanted to throw
  everything we had at everyone,
• so people would see that we were
• not making this stuff up.
• It was an offensive move on our part.

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• The News Paradigm and Web of Facticity
• Online changes to traditional structures

Research Questions

• How did the news narrative of Spokane, Wash.,
  Mayor Jim West change for the newspapers
  website?
• 2) What did these changes indicate about the
  evolution of the traditional news paradigm in the
  online environment?

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PRINT

• What/Why Trickster myth with sanctity of
  authority moral but no known motivation (Themes
  of justice, hypocrisy, ethics, power)
• Where/When Place of news event (abuse) in the
  past
• Who Officially sourced (forensic expert)
  archetypal characters neutral journalists as
  messengers

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The paper then hired a forensic computer expert
in November to help verify the young mans
allegations that West was online. The expert, a
former federal agent who asked not to be
identified for these stories, has helped track
child pornography through the use of online chat
technology RightBi-Guy My name is Jim, by the
way. Moto-Brock Im Brock. RightBi-Guy ends
the conversation by telling Moto-Brock that he
prefers chatting through America Onlines
instant messaging, where host monitoring is
less likely than on a Web site such as Gay.com.
He also says he has to go to a cancer
fund-raising dinner but would rather remain
online with Moto-Brock. Moto-Brock Man you
have my curiosity up about your
job. RightBi-Guy When we meet, Ill tell you.
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WEB

• What/Why Story of newsgathering for verification
  purposes
• Where/When The setting of newsgathering, not
  news event the timing of the far past
  superimposed over present/immediacy (granulated)
• Who Main characters multi-layered
  readers/journalists as developed characters
• http//www.spokesmanreview.com/jimwest/story.asp?i
  d031905_chat

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A second-order cyber-newsroom

• A sub-layer of the physical or main
  (first-order) newsroom
• In this space, journalists share newsgathering
  secrets
• Citizens and sources negotiate and reproduce news
  anew
• New narratives form as a result

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Cyber-Newsroom
Citizen Contributors
Sources
Individual Reporters
Cyber-Newsroom In this case study, the actions
surrounding the Jim West news event, his
supporters and detractors, Spokesman-Review
reporters, local and national audiences came
together in cyberspace. On S-R.com, news as first
gathered by journalists was negotiated by
individual sources, reporters, and citizens, who
added to the reporting. Such contributions
influenced the way this narrative unfolded, and
the narratives ultimate form.
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Possible Implications

• Multiple production processes of news
• Multiple and expanded interpretive communities
• Multiple repairings
• A shared authority over the news story?