Lecture Two: The infamous Jelly Belly lecture.

Digging into the deep, perplexing abyss of my psyche, I tried to recall what actually had been said during that second lecture. All I could find was a colourful mix of expensive sugar filled beans of delight, and alas - nothing more. However, never fear, because they did invent this new thing called 'BLACKBOARD', a virtual database of everything JOUR1111 related.  

Something that did strike me as interesting was the idea that a growing number of online news sites were now charging for their audience to read articles that they had always been able to assess for free. Now, I can imagine how they would feel, as I had sunk my teeth into one or four delicious Jelly Bellys that afternoon, soon to be told that NO, put them back, we're charging for them now. As I watched my babies being torn away from me with their sweet residue still dancing in my mouth, I suppose I did feel I deserved them for free. However, in retrospect, it is quite a fair thing to do.

If one is wanting to become a newspaper or magazine journalist and charge money for people to read their articles, how are they supposed to compete with those who have a similar story online for free? 

Is this the death of honest and good old fashioned journalism?

I guess, for now, I am undecided on the matter. Whether you agree or disagree, it is always something interesting to consider. I guess Journalism students like myself can always appreciate the time, effort and overall quality of an in depth story. Compare this to a mindless article on the Yahoo7 news timeline, you can see why some people would pay for their news. I mean, if we are paying for newspapers, and an online site has the exact same content, I believe it is only fair.


 One thing I have already learned from this lecture and from the course in whole so far, the definition of journalism, and journalist, is constantly evolving and warping into a million different avenues. It seems becoming a  journalist in this new world is more interchangeable, exciting and rewarding and  than ever before.