As digital journalism continues to rise in prominence, more and more industries are changing the way they report news. The sports field in the United States is no exception, and basketball is one of the most affected sports. Digital journalists are changing the face of basketball journalism in several exciting ways. From podcast reporting to crafting character profiles, this article explores some of the ways that digital journalism is affecting basketball coverage.
Digital journalism vs. traditional journalism
In the not-so-distant past, journalists were crucial to print media. They found stories, investigated them, and then published their findings in either a local or national newspaper or magazine. People around the country relied on this method of information dissemination to stay up-to-date about new and old topics. Even today, when the word “journalist” is used, the image of a sleep-deprived journalist interviewing people and organizing their story for print is one of the first that comes to mind. As society has changed and the way we consume information has evolved, however, a new wave of journalism has begun to transform the industry.
Digital journalism refers to journalism that is conducted in the digital sphere. Instead of spending days working on a story and perfecting it for print, digital journalists focus their efforts on online distribution. There are a few benefits to digital journalism compared to traditional journalism, the most prominent of which is the ability to update stories live as new events surface rather than waiting until the next round of newspapers or magazines make their way to print. Online can also be spread far and wide in a variety of different ways, such as sharing on X (previously known as Twitter), Instagram, and YouTube, among many other platforms.
With all that said, what is the real difference between conventional journalism and the emerging field of digital journalism? Aside from the general media platforms used to disseminate information, digital journalism is usually tied to breaking news and unique analysis of information. This is especially true in the field of sports. Digital journalists covering sports such as basketball online are often pressed for time as they publish stories about news the public has just begun to hear about. If someone is injured in a big game, for example, digital journalists confirm the news and hand additional information over to the public as soon as they can. From talking about winners and losers to discussing contract negotiations, quick news stories that are accurate and well-written are crucial to digital journalism.
Another big difference between digital journalism and print journalism has to do with the format of the content itself. Instead of publishing content on a website, it is also possible for journalists to release their stories in video or audio form. We’ll go over both of these in more detail below, but it’s worth noting here. While some traditional news platforms also feature live reporting on video, digital journalists can release their content whether they have a big-name sponsor or are digging into their stories on their own. They don’t need a traditional platform to convey their information to the world the way traditional journalists do via print or broadcast.
That’s not to say that digital journalists don’t ever work with impressive names in the industry, of course, but rather that they don’t need to have an established news company behind them.
Rise of digital journalism
One of the biggest advantages of digital journalism is accessibility. According to Yahoo!, more than 90% of the world is connected via mobile networks. Much of this connectivity translates to surfing the internet and browsing various websites and social platforms. Because of this large and expansive population, digital journalists have access to a huge potential audience that doesn’t exist with print newspapers or, for the most part, broadcast journalism. Instead of limiting their work and stories only to people with a subscription to the newspaper or network in question, digital journalists publish stories that are accessible to people around the world.
Another advantage of digital journalism is the dwindling attention span of people worldwide. As people increasingly demand quick and easy-to-digest bits of information rather than multi-page dossiers, the breaking news stories often favored by digital journalists are often preferable to anything else.
Multi-platform use is yet another reason digital journalism is on the rise. Instead of limiting content to one platform in particular, journalists with an emphasis on digital publication have the opportunity to make use of dozens of different websites and media formats. Stories can be released via print, video, or audio and make their way to users either via websites, email campaigns, YouTube videos or shorts, Instagram reels, or any number of additional means. Digital journalists work just as hard as more traditional journalists, but their content is more varied and has a wider reach as a result of their modern dissemination approach.
Real-time coverage, which we will also discuss a bit later in more detail, is a huge advantage for digital journalists. Instead of working on stories after the fact, journalists can publish news articles as the news is breaking. It often serves as the first method of communication for various news stories, which, in fact, include injuries and wins when reporting on sports. From court cases to high-profile galas and everything in between, digital journalism is uniquely poised to thrive on breaking news in a way that more conventional journalism is not. When you have to wait for a newspaper to publish once a day or even once a week, you’re not going to be breaking any news at this point in time.
While the above are distinct “pros” of digital journalism, there are a few things to keep in mind. When publishing information online, you are typically dependent on web traffic. If you write a story and no one reads it, you might not be paid as much as if it was all over the internet. That means that digital journalists must have an understanding of basic marketing and SEO approaches to help maximize their exposure to the world.
Luckily, there are many resources available online to make the learning process quick and easy. Earning a Master’s in Journalism online is another way to develop the skills needed to succeed in an online environment. The best programs offer digital journalists an education customized to meet their unique needs in the world of news reporting. The online Master of Arts in Digital Journalism Degree offered by St. Bonaventure, for example, is a comprehensive combination of conventional journalist characteristics and digital journalism methods, all from a well-known and established school.
How digital journalism impacts basketball coverage
One of the most popular sports in the world is basketball, with millions of fans around the world keeping tabs on teams in a number of different countries in addition to the United States. You might not even be fully aware of just how much digital journalism is impacting the way basketball news is relayed, as well as how that impact affects players and fans alike. In this section, we’ll discuss four main ways this emerging news coverage industry is affecting basketball.
Character profiles of players
One of the biggest changes in today’s news coverage of basketball compared to a few decades ago is the character profiles of players. When we didn’t have access to every facet of a person’s life, more people tended to be indifferent to all but the very best of players. For every Michael Jordan or Dennis Rodman, there were dozens of players who operated largely under the radar. While there are still more popular players than others, more players have the opportunity to build a name for themselves, even if they aren’t the best on the team. Digital journalism can help with this quite a bit via the use of character profiles.
Character profiles consist not just of basic information about players and their performance on the team but also of their personal and philanthropic lives. Someone who is the fifth-best player on a basketball team might not draw immediate attention for their skills but might become a fan favorite thanks to an excellent sense of humor or a demonstrated tendency to donate to charity and give back to communities around the country. On the other hand, a player with behavioral issues outside of the court might find themselves somewhat reviled by the profile that digital news coverage builds.
Because they have a better opportunity to tell their stories and share their personalities, triumphs, and failures with their audience, players of all popularity levels are significantly impacted by profiles. They allow digital journalists to better report on basketball with increased accuracy and context behind the stories in question, too, thanks to the expanded information they have.
Live reporting
Live reporting in basketball is a huge part of the digital journalism industry. There are a few different areas to discuss here. First, reporting live in person is a time-honored element of journalism of almost every kind. The end goal is to spread your story as far and wide as possible, after all, and interview opportunities, along with the behind-the-scenes look journalists focusing on basketball coverage often receive at events and games, make for a compelling live experience.
Live reporting doesn’t refer only to reporting live in person. While that might be where your mind first goes when you hear the term, there is another kind of live reporting that is quite popular and pervasive. Breaking news stories, as well as stories that follow specific events as they happen, can be updated and added to live as more details come to light.
A journalist reporting on a highly contentious game of basketball between two long-term rivals might create a live thread with basic information about the teams and the feud and then update it as the event progresses. Everything from scores to scuffles and everything in between can be recorded for posterity seconds after they happen. It is a very engaging form of storytelling that allows basketball journalists to weave a compelling article as they watch something unfold in real time.
Social media polling and interaction
It can be difficult for traditional journalists to determine whether their stories are hitting the mark or not. When you only report news at various designated intervals, you lose some of the opportunity for analysis that digital journalists have. Two of the biggest advantages of digital basketball journalism are social media polling and interaction.
Social media polling allows journalists to ask their followers to weigh in on a story or event. Do they like the way the news is being covered? Are they sick of hearing about it? Asking users to give their opinions is a great way to create news stories that your followers care about, and it is a good tool that digital journalists have at their disposal to ensure their approach fits their followers’ preferences. It doesn’t mean that they change the facts of their story to better suit their inclination, of course, but rather the way that information is presented and how often the journalists talk about it.
In addition to social media polling, social media interaction, in general, is important in digital journalism. Most journalists want to make a name for themselves and attract many followers with their writing and opinions. Interacting with followers on social media helps build loyal relationships that encourage others to pay attention to what the journalist has to say. Sometimes, this can be a detriment depending on the personality of the journalist in question, but for the most part, it is an incredible boon for journalists interested in growing their audiences and establishing themselves as a force to be reckoned with in the industry.
In basketball reporting, specifically, social media polling and interaction are often used to drum up anticipation around an event or story. Journalists can gauge which team their followers want to win an important game via polling, for example, allowing them to shape the coverage they provide during the game itself. Social media interaction on a smaller scale allows them to interact with individual followers as they voice their opinions on the news story. Journalists can then relay their sentiments in their next story and ask their followers for even more opinions about the games and notable events unfolding within them.
Podcasts/video creation
Finally, we come to podcasts and video creation. Not all news has to be relayed in the written word, and even content that is initially published as a news story can be included in videos and podcasts discussing the topic. There are a few ways that these platforms impact digital journalists, covering basketball in particular.
First, sports podcasts are a popular addition to the sports news world. Many people enjoy putting a podcast on while they’re driving or doing chores around the house. It allows them to stay updated about whatever is happening with their favorite team and also affords them the opportunity to pick a podcast dedicated to their favorites. Some digital journalists covering basketball also have their own favorite teams, and it is not uncommon for them to begin a podcast revolving around that team. From reporting on the players’ personal accomplishments to analyzing player form and condition over the season, these podcasts allow journalists to indulge their preferences while still releasing more general stories on more mainstream websites if they decide to do so.
The same is true of videos. Digital journalists can make a name for themselves by recording and uploading summaries of breaking news throughout the day. What did people have to say about a particular team? Are fans upset with how a game went? Video creation gives journalists covering basketball the chance to share more in-depth opinions and analyses with fans instead of trying to win over mainstream fans with very specific news stories and thoughts.
Why is digital journalism overtaking traditional journalism?
Now that you know all about digital journalism and how it is impacting basketball coverage around the world, you might have a better idea about why it is becoming such a popular journalism method. There are a few main points to revisit here. In general, digital journalism is:
- Rapid
- Accessible
- Relevant
While traditional journalism can tick some of these boxes, too, digital journalism is perfectly poised to deliver quick, easy-to-read, and relevant information about even very specific topics on the fly compared to traditional journalism. This naturally attracts fans and followers who want to know everything that is happening at any given time about their favorite sport or team.
Whether you’re a long-time fan or are new to the industry, you’re sure to find the basketball coverage you want in the format you prefer, thanks to the rise of digital journalism. If you’re interested in entering the industry yourself, set your sights on a high-quality education from a well-established university.
