The impact of online journalism and new media on society

Speech delivered by Norila Mohd Daud, Malaysia, at the World Journalists Conference (WJC2022)

“Hi good afternoon to everybody

The topic covers a big scope and perspectives depending on the medium used by the journalist whether newspaper or online news portal.

Before the social media and online news portal came into the media world, a handful of journalists who managed to strike by lines often on the front page of the newspaper will become famous and influential.

These journalists were considered as successful propagandists to change the society in several aspects such as political ideology, culture, religion, economy, international relationships, lifestyles and fashion trends.

The handful numbers of journalists were influential via their news reports and writings in the newspapers and often became the target of politicians and public figures to disseminate their messages to the public and supporters.

Unlike now, many mainstream newspapers owned by the former ruling government have either been closed down or experiencing shrinking in readerships following the emergence of too many independent news portal, social media and sponsored bloggers in the country.

The society today has many choices and options to get their information. It depends on what they want and like to read and what they will gain from the information. In the digital era, readers have many choices to turn to such as Facebook, Instagram, Telegram and government/agencies websites to get the latest information on any issue.

From these options, it is obvious that journalism alone could not change the society. However during the COVID-19 pandemic, journalism has become very powerful as the people are following the development of the infections closely both in the country and the global situation via the newspapers, electronic media and online news portals.

As Malaysia recently has three Prime Ministers within a short period before the 15^th General Election (GE) due in 2023, then it is relevant to associate how journalism especially online journalism has managed to change the mindset of the people to the extent that state elections held in Sarawak, Melaka and Johor recently have witnessed a change in the political landscape.

Before this all the states involved were very much supporting the ruling parties but today the voters had turned to the former ruling parties that lost in 2018 general election.

Based on the political scenario before the GE in 2018, a scholar of Master of Art Mass Communication, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Ziinine has completed his research thesis “Online Journalism: Changing Public Mindset and Political Conflicts” in 1917.

His research findings have proven that online journalism has succeeded to change the society in Malaysia in 2018.This is the most realistic example whereby the roles and effectiveness of the new media and online journalism has succeeded to change the mindset of the people that resulted in the change of Malaysian government in 2018 after 60 years in power.

Before the former ruling parties lost in the GE 2018, they did not recognise the roles of online journalism and portal news as they regarded all news on the alleged government corrupt practices and money laundering were merely just hot news played by the social media. They did not accept news portal as serious media but as opposition agents to smash the government.”