It’s the Story, Stupid

Writing in Tuesday’s Toronto Star, Antonia Zerbisias opines that original journalism is lacking on the Internet. Amid an article full of oft-heard longing for alternative forms of information, especially with the current world situation, Zerbisias does actually make a very important point. If online journalism is to gain widespread general respect, it has to produce the journalistic goods. I’d say that we’ve all been focusing too much on presentation — with buzzwords like “multimedia” and “interactivity” — rather than substance. So, pull money out of the budget line for technical tricks, and use that cash to fund high-quality investigative reporting. Readers come for the story, not the wrapping.