Eroding the connection?: Web 2.0 and non-metropolitan newspaper journalists

Abstract

One of the characteristics most widely associated with non-metropolitan news media is a relatively close relationship with both news sources and news audiences. This relationship is generally seen as driving both the nature of news coverage and the broader communication roles played by such news outlets, enhancing the contribution they are able to make to social capital within and outside their primary circulation or broadcast area. However, localised news media are not immune from the pressures facing the news media more broadly, including changing business models and the impact of Web 2.0 technologies. This paper reports on a study of the impact of Web-based communications on journalism practice at three Australian non-metropolitan newspapers. Through qualitative interviews with journalists at each of the three publications – one in New South Wales, one in Victoria and one in South Australia – it explores the impact of interactive communications technologies and questions whether this is breaking down traditional source-journalist-audience relationships in regional areas of Australia.