Why reporting will never die... as much as democracy is very well alive

This is the first day of the year and we can only hope it bodes well for better times in 2022.

But God knows I had no clue in mind or much of any literary skills at all when I took my first newspaper job in 1984, an era where typewriters and desk phones were still the main tools in the newsrooms.

After graduating high school, I was twisted in the grip of a disease of our times where the sufferer experiences an overwhelming urge to leave their hometown to join the real and new world.

Journalism provided me and others alike a platform. I said, this must be the place!

Fast forward to 2022, here I am, still doing the same old job only to be replaced by a more savvy smart phone and devices that can do anything you wish merely with the touch of your fingertips - only to realise the game plan has changed dramatically.

The era of newspapers may be coming to an end, and although that's true, it is not the end of journalism.

We still can adapt, change and improvise.

Online and social media are as good as it gets. We follow where the news goes and we will report it.

In short, true journalism will survive. However, this doesn’t deny the fact that media is changing as technology progress at an unprecedented pace while the challenges are tremendous.

The digital world is taking over the roll of publishing and broadcasting, changing the way journalists perform their jobs to sustain the profession’s viability.

The internet, as a tool and means of disseminating news and information, is impacting all traditional media in a way we never seen before.

Today, I seldom meet my reporters physically, instead we talk to each other via video call or zoom conferences. Like it or not, that is the way forward.

On the other hand, the evolving role of so-called social media — as an outlet for news, information, opinion and analysis is the main challenge to professional media and journalists at work.

And one comes out from discussions and debates with a strong conclusion that ‘mainstream media’ is over and other forms of journalism are taking over.

Still, there’s no definitive measure on how many are turning to social media for news and information rather than seeking it from mainstream media, and yet almost all media outlets use these social media platforms to curate their content across all formats.

It is not wrong to conclude that the public is finding it easier to get information from social media platforms while it’s becoming more and more skeptical about information other than that is ‘shared’ or ‘tweeted’ by trusted sources.

Other's opined, the hype of social media becoming the main source of information and news may be coming to an end soon — not only due to saturation, but due to the increased use of these platforms as means of disinformation, bogus campaigning and spreading rumours on unchecked information.

As the attacks on media and journalism increases, it is signifies that true journalism is doing its job right and in doing so, rankling those who claim to be the new platform of information.

In the end, the public will still look for truthfulness and need journalists and true media to keep them informed by presenting accurate facts and news.

Somehow, this will prevail. The public will ultimately come to a point where they realise the need for real journalism, even with social media, is vital.

Demand for real news and views will always be there because people ultimately will still seek for the truth.

Media is ruled not only by laws of libel, but by its set of professional regulations.

Non-credible sources of news and views, information and analysis will slowly perish.

And for balanced journalism, we need media and journalists to investigate, verify and check information as an antidote to the era of fake news and hearsay.

That's what we at Sinar Daily are intent to do. Welcome aboard.