N.B. – A graduate student from the Ateneo de Manila University emailed some questions about the impact of the Internet on the practice of journalism. Here are my short answers.

What do you think is the impact of Internet on journalism over the next five years in the Philippines? Will it be helpful or detrimental?

Notwithstanding the current limited reach of the Internet, we expect the number of active Internet users in the Philippines to exponentially increase (as it did in the past) even if the Internet will not likely reach half of the population. Social networking sites like Facebook will remain to be popular. Internet access through mobile phones will become more popular, although this will be confined to those with high purchasing power. In this context, the practice of journalism will still incorporate the opportunities provided by the new media either as one of the tools of the trade (e.g., mobile phone, digital camera), sources of information, or tips for potential stories (relevant status updates or tweets).

In a sense, the Internet will be helpful because it facilitates faster communication. The downside is the reliability of information shared on the Net which can be easily solved by the journalists’ constant checking of its provenance and accuracy.

Do you think it will affect how journalists go about with their jobs? How?

Journalists will be all the more challenged to straddle the different forms of media. In the same way that the new media cannot be dismissed as just a passing fancy of the youth, the traditional media still have their own functions in reaching out to various audiences. Of course, it’s also necessary to maintain the same high professional and ethical standards because of the temptation provided by the new media like immediate uploading of stories even if the data are not yet verified. Only an ethical journalist would know the mistake of doing so since he or she does not have a “scoop” mentality (i.e., in the context of new media, “commit mistake now, correct later.”)

Will it change how Filipinos get their news? How?

I sincerely doubt that print journalism will die in the next five years as a result of new media. In the case of traditional broadcast journalism (radio and television), we are seeing its integration with the new media as the term “broadcast” is being re-defined to include webcasting (streaming audio and video). As stated previously, there still exists a limited reach of the Internet though it is possible that the Internet-savvy generation of the youth would start depending on getting information from the Web, either through the websites of media organizations, aggregates, or social networking sites.

In your opinion, will it affect how media outfits get revenue? In what ways?

Media organizations are now changing their strategies in generating profits. If Rupert Murdoch were to have his way, he would charge fees for content that online visitors want to read in his news media websites. We might see the prevalence of stealth advertising or product placement on the Net in the next few years, a situation that is already happening on radio and television.

Finally, compared to other countries, how well do you think will Philippine journalism be able to adapt to the Internet age?

The presence of mainstream and alternative media is already evident in the new media, and the Philippines proves to be an interesting case study. The country’s history helped shape the media into what they are right now, as EDSA 2, for example, gave rise to alternative publications like Kodao Productions, Bulatlat and Pinoy Weekly.

Just like their counterparts in other countries, Filipino journalists generally seem to adapt very well to the Net as blogs, social networking sites and most other features of the Web are user-friendly. They, along with other computer-literate Filipinos, therefore find it easy to use new media. Whether or not journalists can effectively use new media, however, in their profession is another matter. But it is good to know that there is an increasing number of journalists who maintain blogs, for example, to reach out to a wider audience.