Newspaper Journalists Use E-mail to Gather News

Newspaper Research Journal, Spring 2004 by Garrison, Bruce

There are legitimate journalistic concerns about use of e-mail in newsgathering. These respondents have noted factors emphasizing the technology and its effects on the newsroom, but not as much about the quality of the information they obtain. Emphasis on wasted time and resources caused by unsolicited junk e-mail rated highest. The potential of lost work caused by viruses and other malicious software also rated very high. Has this fear of problems caused by the technology of e-mail reduced or slowed its journalistic use? The data do not offer a sufficient explanation, but the effects of such concerns should be investigated.

Perhaps one of the most intriguing findings involves newsroom roles. Editors are much more concerned about the security and credibility of information in e-mail than are others in the newsroom. Clearly, newsroom managers take a more reasoned view of sources of information used. This includes e-mail. Managers appear to be much more focused on the problems that may occur in information obtained through e-mail than do reporters. Analysis indicates editors are statistically different on nearly half of the scale items. Certainly this distinction commands additional study.

No major significant differences in how men and women view e-mail were found. Similarly, there were few differences according to age. While there were very few differences found by gender and age, there were some useful findings in terms of how newsroom managers used e-mail. Managers received much more e-mail than did their colleagues. This is clearly a function of their roles and, perhaps, because they may be highly visible communication "targets" in the newsroom. It may also be a function of their longevity and the "age" of their business e-mail address. The study did not measure the types of messages received, but it is likely that many messages were press releases, contact from other potential sources, reader contacts and internal communication. Editors also demonstrate a more traditional approach to interviewing with greater dependence on in-person interviews than use of e-mail or the telephone. Again, this may be more a function of role, but additional research must be conducted to completely understand these differences.

There were no differences in self-evaluated level of computer expertise and use. Computer literate individuals are likely to use the computer differently from less skilled users. This might suggest more volume of use, greater diversity in types of uses or other fundamental differences. Beginners were more involved with e-mail-at least in terms of sending business messages. This finding hints, of course, that more experienced e-mail users might have passed beyond the "fascination" stage and have made attempts to restrict and manage their use of it.

This study would be strengthened with a theoretical base that offers fundamental understanding of newsroom communication and new technologies or that places use of e-mail in a larger context of the information gathering process. It is hoped that the findings reported may contribute to creation of a process model or more comprehensive theoretical framework. Additional research, more directly based in the uses and gratifications approach, could build upon these findings. Credibility of information obtained through e-mail should also be investigated.