As it Happens How Live News Blogs Work and their Future

Abstract

The live blog is a relatively new, web-native format that has special possibilities for creating journalism. It is an example of networked journalism that puts an emphasis on aggregated material from different sources such as social media and user-generated content. • Live blogs are usually heavily dependent on other mainstream media as well as social media to function. • News consumers appreciate the format of the live blog. They sometimes prefer it over other formats such as a conventional news articles and sometimes consume types of content they would not normally have chosen because it is presented in a live blog. • The use of live blogs has sparked conflict and debate, mainly because of the speed at which they are written and how this leads to publishing unconfirmed information which has occasionally put people at risk of harm. • Live blogs change the way journalists work: they have more (or less) to do, they use a different tone of voice and they might not always be able to verify the information that they share. Reporters take on a new role, that sometimes might resemble that of an editor, curator or moderator. • Verifying facts in real time is one of the biggest journalistic challenges when working with live blogs. Other challenges include the live blog taking up a lot of resources and keeping the narrative structure clear. • Live blogs can be used as a way of engaging with readers, making it easier for the news - paper to receive useful user generated content. • Live blogs might change how media companies act towards news consumers and increase the level of engagement with readers. • Live blogs open up the journalistic process to readers, so transferring some of the jour - nalistic responsibility towards them. Live blogs change the way the reader consumes the news – the reader has to act like an editor. • The live blog is an evolving format that we will see more of in the future.