"Don't leave the journalism behind" : Richard Burton and online news

[Steven Hayes]

It was extremely refreshing to hear a journalist of both print and online media utter the words "print is not dead."
It is precisely because Burton fell into his job at the Telegraph.co.uk that his opinion carries so much weight. Those who had the pleasure of hearing the anecdotal accounts about his days on various newspapers could see this was someone who knew both media incredibly well.

The message from his lecture was clear: online journalism is a good thing, a vastly expanding and hugely popular way of consuming news. But "it is still a way off" and particularly for newspapers that seek to use online content.

As Burton says, the convenience of the web cannot trump the brand power of a newspaper and the sensation of ink on the fingertips. It is difficult to envisage a day when everyone scrolls down to read their newspaper instead of turning the pages themselves. A psychological barrier, yes, but a pretty huge one.

Even more refreshing was Burton's call not "to leave the journalism behind" in a multimedia environment. It was good to hear online skills are not quintessential, on the contrary, they are common currency these days.

As we keep hearing - anybody can master new technology, that's exactly why a keen grasp of both online and citizen journalism is so important. But not anybody can write about the news with accuracy, clarity and brevity.

That is what makes a good journalist and, hopefully, what marks us out from the rest.