Online journalism has taken reporting in South Africa to another level. It is composed of both print and broadcast journalism because of its inclusion of videos, audios and news. The manner in which online publications report shows high expertise and professionalism largely due to the fact that news are not fabricated or distorted but are reported in a similar way as print and broadcast news. This justifies their reliability and integrity. Online news comprises different multimedia elements ranging from videos and audios of various newsworthy events to blogs and opinion pieces.
These elements allow you to watch certain events which you have missed. For instance, I was able to watch highlights of the Grammy Awards on www.timeslive.co.za and I also watched some interesting highlights of the Miss World pageant also on www.timeslive.co.za. News online are updated daily and are told as they are happening. News are divided accordingly and are told in details. So it becomes easier to access them than going through page to page in a newspaper or waiting for the entertainment section at the end of a news bulletin in broadcast news. All publications or news corporations without online publication as an alternative should consider creating one.
Timeslive.co.za is a very appealing online publication because of its versatility in reporting news. Fresh news and videos are uploaded daily. The lay-out is beautiful and the adding of colour has made it stand above the rest. Videos and audios are of top quality but I think their duration is too limited. Newsworthy events are not given much coverage but videos of entertainment news are given too much preference. For instance, the Grammy Awardswere not told in details but there were more video clips to demonstrate what happened. But newsworthy events such as the hearing of Julius Malema’s suspension appeal for example, are not covered in pictures to show his emotions but are told in print format. This is something in my opinion, that is lacking content wise. News are told as they are happening. For example, the Malema suspension appeal hearing, they updated us every minute. Their opinion pieces are unbiased and are full of content. This shows hardwork and professionalism on their side.
Their “today in history page” has made the site more interesting and appealing than all. News24 is more or less the same as twitter because news are always updated. They make sure that their content is fresh and is of public interest. In terms of multimedia, they upload videos and audios of relevant news. Four to five videos are always available daily. News videos are given much preference. The lay-out design is unique and adds meaning and colour to their news content and news are told in pictures.
Eye Witness News online does not tell news in visuals but are told in details. They are brief and are updated daily depending on the event taking place. They lack multimedia elements such as blogs and videos. But they have audios where you can listen to the latest news and latest traffic report. Their lay-out is appealing and has made the site look cheerful.
