Below are links to Chicago Tribune and Guardian articles regarding web services being overwhelmed by people looking for Michael Jackson information.
Michael Jackson death news: Online activity heats up Twitter and Google, slows down some sites
Michael Jackson, the Twitter effect, and the 'science' of reportings
In addition to noting the volume of online activity, both news organizations included criticisms of gossip sites, notably TMZ. This Chicago Tribune quote seems to hint at the frustration felt by an "old media stalwart" facing bankruptcy:
Gossip site TMZ.com, owned by Time Warner, was out in front with Jackson news and digital-era pipelines spread the word, as has happened before with other major celebrity news stories. But it was old media stalwarts that did the heavy lifting, with giants such as The Associated Press and the Web site of the L.A. Times, sister paper of the Chicago Tribune, reporting the fastest, most credible information on the emergency call for paramedics and ultimately his death. [boldface added]After reading the Elements of Journalism chapters earlier in the week, it's interesting that this "news about the news", including delivery methods (internet) and differences between publishers (TMZ vs. Guardian), made its way into the Michael Jackson story.
source: http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-fri-jackson-mediajun26,0,5302945.story
TMZ actually posted that MJ was dead six minutes before the coroner declared his death. I don't know how they did it (office physic or wire tape running through all of UCLA medical?), but they did get the info out through one unknown named source. Who knew following entertainment tabloid websites would be the place to turn for breaking news. I am assured that my guilty pleasure of reading tabloids will be very important to my career, life and future happiness.
ReplyDeleteSO what does this say about journalism through the internet?
TMZ missed out in identifying their unknown source (good work for
your legitimate gossip). Your speediness played a part in the athletic game of who gets the news out first. When news sites were bombarded with hits like
As much as I appreciate a good story like the ones on MJ, I am truly sicko of Jacko.
ReplyDelete