Flavour and tone in digital journalism
By Zach Dafoe
In the beginning, there was print news.
From Gutenberg to Associated, the press has been considerably sped up through new technological advent. None so far has broken quite as much ground since the explosion of the information age.
When thinking or talking about this development, the focus often falls on its impact on audiences. For those of us who pass as journalists on weekends and holidays, there’s an important going on that asks: ‘How did the shift to digital change the profession?’
The key to the metaphorical digital city for modern journalists has to do with the sheer speed and volume of information the internet has brought to bear. This has, by necessity, displaced the so-called traditional ‘voicelessness’ of journalism. When wading through an opague glut of information, ‘voicier’ writing retains audiences longer.
The need to hook with the lede is front and center, lest audiences click away and look at something else. This tonal shift has made writers step away from the inverted pyramid style of writing—its matter-of-factness has frankly gone stale in an age of decreased attention spans and increased dopamine hits. So now, writing must be even tighter, more concise, more to-the-point, but also a little more fun, a little more interesting, a little more urgent—writers need to be a little more creative when offering up their content.
There are a lot of differences, as with any drastic mode-shift or technological breakthrough. But I think in terms of how it affects working journalists, writing for web carries the extra challenge of having to balance good journalism and good, interesting writing.
So, let’s spice up that news, I suppose.
-zd
Skunkt 
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