Digital First

“Digital First” is a media philosophy wherein publishers push content onto the Internet immediately after the information is gathered, rather than waiting for a print or broadcast deadline. This approach favors new media over old media, much to the chagrin of most journalists, who tend to resist change for sport.

Traditional journalists are not fans of this approach because they fear accuracy will take a hit. On the whole, griping about lack of accuracy or resources to implement this change is generally rooted in a deep desire not to re-arrange workflows and deadlines, which have been in place for decades in many news organizations.

However, failure to adhere to a digital first policy in most newsrooms is like throwing the life boats off of a sinking ship because it is too much work to man them and navigation will take a hit. Like the lifeboat, digital media is the path to the future.