ELECTRONIC DEVICE

The Feasibility Of Replacing Newspaper With Electronic Device In Hong Kong



TABLE OF CONTENTS

CH # 1: INTRODUCTION3

Moving news through the gates5

Rise of the first-edition newspaper in Hong Kong7

Research Objective8

CH # 2: LITERATURE REVIEW9

CH # 3: METHODOLOGY20

Print Re-Shelving data20

Electronic journal usage data21

Data analysis22

CH # 4: FINDINGS24

Electronic Usage Correlates with Print Usage24

Local Citation Data Correlate with Journal Usage Data25

CH # 5: DISCUSSION37

Transforming How Journalists Work37

Twitter and the Double-Edged Sword of Speed38

Other New Media Content Forms38

Conclusions40

REFERENCES45

Ch # 1: Introduction

New media journalism emerged in the late 20th cenconvergence of digital, or computer-based, technologies and telecommunications, especially but not limited to the Internet and World Wide Web. New media technologies are reshaping journalism in four basic ways. First, new media are transforming how journalists do their work. Second, new media are producing a restructuring of journalistic organizations and institutions. Third, new media are giving rise to new media content forms. Fourth, new media are leading to the reinvention of the relationships between and among journalists, journalistic organizations, and their many publics, especially these five: audiences, sources, regulators, financers, and competitors. This set of changes is leading to a form of new media journalism with greater citizen involvement and participation in a discourse with journalists, newsmakers, and other citizens. At times, this discourse is little more than opinions and pandering to base interests. But at times, this discourse is reasoned, informed, and refreshing.

Many work directly in the lobby of a newspaper's building, sitting on benches or even on the floor with cell phone, pen, and highlighter in hand. This approach to media relations is far from common practice worldwide, but in Hong Kong , such activities have been routine for many years (Huh & Hwang, 1999). Hong Kong government policy banned the process of what we call here “Third Gatekeeping” as of March 2003, but the efforts of Hong Kong public relations practitioners continue, with all but one of Hong Kong 's major daily newspapers continuing to produce a first-edition newspaper, and most corporate practitioners continuing to screen them. The real impact of the new government policy has mainly affected practitioners in the public sector.

To explain the term third gatekeeping, the public relations practitioner would be considered as the first gatekeeper, because an organization's public relations department screens information and adds news value before submitting news releases to newspaper editors. “Second gatekeeping” then, reflects the traditional use of the term, where reporters, newspaper companies' editing policies, and editors' judgments shape potential stories into the final news mix. Much of the research on gatekeeping has focused specifically on defining news organizations as gatekeepers and identifying the diverse gatekeeping processes working within news organizations (Berkowitz, 1990; Cameron, Sallot, & Curtin, 1997).

From this literature, the information flow within a newspaper is conceptualized as beyond the control of PR practitioners. However, the unique first-edition newspaper system in Hong Kong allows additional opportunities for influencing the flow of news. Thus, Hong Kong practitioners refer to their first-edition screening as third gatekeeping.

Although this case study of Hong Kong public relations might ...