If the internet's doing the driving, where the hell is it taking us?

Hardly a day goes by that something isn't written about the death of the newspaper. The recession, the declining ad revenues and the internet are all taking the blame for this failure of our oldest information institutions.

Internet journalism is honestly cheaper to produce. No physical costs of paper and ink, no need to have delivery boys and our green focused society all dictate that the physical format is going out of style. Classified ads have been quickly migrating to websites like Craigslist and Kijiji, eroding the financial base of the newspaper.

"The issue isn't how the information is presented; it's that it's still being presented. Whether it's on paper or electronically, if the information is still finding its way into the hands of the readers, then we're doing our job properly," said Leo Paré, Online Editor of the Red Deer Advocate, one of Alberta's largest dailies.

Journalism doesn’t live or die based on a real tactile format. While there is a lot of useless, ill-researched material on the internet, there can still be room for hard-hitting news. The goal of this transition should be continued quality and accountability on the part of the journalists and continued development of young journalists.

In truth, this shift to a real-time format can breathe new life into journalism. Multimedia features mingled with up to the minute updates will make journalism a veritable source at any time of day. Instead of one print deadline, it can be updated any time the news happens.