Difference Between Print Media and

Electronic Media
 Difference Between Print and Electronic Media

Printing is a process for reproducing text and image, typically with ink on paper using a
printing press. It is often carried out as a large-scale industrial process, and is an essential part
of publishing and transaction printing. Offset press

A story is a single article, news item or feature, usually concerning a single event, issue,
theme, or profile of a person. Correspondents report news occurring in the main, locally,
from their own country, or from foreign cities where they are stationed.

Most reporters file information or write their stories electronically from remote locations. In
many cases, breaking stories are written by staff members, through information collected and
submitted by other reporters who are out on the field gathering information for an event that
has just occurred and needs to be broadcast instantly. Radio and television reporters often
compose stories and report "live" from the scene. Some journalists also interpret the news or
offer opinions and analysis to readers, viewers, or listeners. In this role, they are called
commentators or columnists.

Reporters take notes and also take photographs or shoot videos, either on their own, or
through a photographer or camera person. In the second phase, they organize the material,
determine the focus or emphasis (identify the peg), and finally write their stories. The story is
then edited by news or copy-editors (US style) or sub-editors , who function from the news
desk. The headline of the story is decided by the news desk, and practically never by the
reporter or the writer of the piece. Often, the news desk also heavily re-writes or changes the
style and tone of the first draft prepared by the reporter / writer originally. Finally, a
collection of stories that have been picked for the newspaper or magazine edition, are laid
out on dummy (trial) pages, and after the chief editor has approved the content, style and
language in the material, it is sent for publishing.

E lectronic media

Electronic media are media that use electronics or electromechanical energy for the end user
(audience) to access the content. This is in contrast to static media (mainly print media),
which are most often created electronically, but don't require electronics to be accessed by
the end user in the printed form. The primary electronic media sources familiar to the general
public are better known as video recordings, audio recordings, multimedia presentations,
slide presentations, CD-ROM and Online Content. Most new media are in the form of digital
media. However, electronic media may be in either analog or digital format.
Although the term is usually associated with content recorded on a storage medium,
recordings are not required for live broadcasting and online networking. Any equipment used
in the electronic communication process (e.g. television, radio, telephone, desktop computer,
game console, handheld device) may also be considered electronic media.

Historical difference

The main historical difference between broadcast and print media is their development. Print
media, and thereby print journalism, evolved from a process. Anthony Smith (1980; in Herbert
2001) states: "Printing evolved from a series of divisions of labour that had been introduced in
an effort to speed up the task of manuscript copying." In short, print journalism developed from
a process already in place for centuries, namely the manual transcription of manuscripts. In
contrast, broadcast media (and broadcast journalism) were born of technology. The telegraph,
telephone, radio, television, and Internet were not built specifically for journalism nor did they
evolve from some existing process related to journalism; instead, people adapted these
inventions to serve the media. In this sense, broadcast is a relatively young medium especially
when compared to print

Style and structure

There are numerous stylistic and structural differences between broadcast and print journalism.

Print journalism edits more than broadcast. Newspapers edit for clarity, fairness, and accuracy

(Colgan, 2004). They also edit to ensure individual house style. In broadcast journalism

however, exactly what you write is often exactly what airs, with little or no editing. The

extensive editing process in print journalism allows more time for eloquence and prose.

Conversely, the relative lack of editing in broadcast journalism warrants short, sharp, succinct

language of a more conversational tone (Higgins, 2004).

Broadcast and print journalism also differ in structure. Print news stories use an inverted

pyramid structure with the most important items (the facts of the story) reported in the first

paragraph. Remaining facts are then presented in descending order of importance. Broadcast
news stories on the other hand are broader (no pun intended). Important facts are still

reported in the first paragraph, but broadcast news stories end decisively and do not trail off as

do print news stories (Higgins, 2004).

Lastly, broadcast and print news stories differ in length and pace. The average radio news story

is just 30 seconds long. The average television news story is one minute and 30 seconds long.

Read at a pace of 180 words per minute these lengths equate to 90 and 270 words respectively

for radio and television news stories. The average print new piece can vary greatly in length,

but has been described as "12 snappy pars" (Ricketson, 2004). Ultimately, the newspaper

journalist has little control over the pace at which the story is read; it is the reader who dictates

the pace.

Impact

Broadcast and print media also differ in how much the audience can retain and recall. Average

newspaper readers retain and recall more information than do average broadcast viewers and

listeners (Alysen, 2000). The reason for this difference is, in my opinion, that broadcast media

can be turned on but then forgotten. Print media however cannot be ignored in this way. For it

to be of any use, people must interact with print media. Consider people who come home from

work with a newspaper. They walk into the house, throw the paper on the table, turn on the

television and move to the kitchen to fix a snack. While in the kitchen they can still hear the

television but they do not interact directly with it. Newspapers cannot interact with their

audience the same way television can. Print media requires a much higher degree of interaction
with its audience. This higher degree of interaction is why people retain and recall more

information from print media.

Another area in which broadcast and print media differ is in permanence. It is a simple matter

to read last week’s news. Libraries keep newspapers dating back decades, perhaps centuries. If

the actual paper itself is not available then a facsimile of some type, most likely microfiche, will

be. Compare this to broadcast media where it is difficult to watch last week’s television news

and next to impossible to listen to radio newscasts from decades past. New technology is slowly

changing this, but it will be some time before data compression and storage technologies reach

a level where libraries will be able to archive broadcast media. When technologies do reach this

level, will libraries have the desire to compress and store all this information? If so, will anyone

want or require it? Print has posterity, while broadcast is fleeting.

Finally, broadcast and print journalism vary in how they influence their respective audiences. In

broadcast media tone of voice, physical build, gender, and dress all influence the audience’s

perceptions of authenticity and accuracy. People who watch broadcast news form perceptions

immediately based on what they see or hear. In contrast, newspaper readers are often

oblivious to the physical characteristics of the reporter. Usually all the reader knows of the

reporter comes from the by-line and suggests the reporter’s sex. Newspaper reporters must

rely solely on their writing skills to affect reader.

Broadcast and print media also differ in how much the audience can retain and recall. Average

newspaper readers retain and recall more information than do average broadcast viewers and

listeners (Alysen, 2000). The reason for this difference is, in my opinion, that broadcast media
can be turned on but then forgotten. Print media however cannot be ignored in this way. For it

to be of any use, people must interact with print media. Consider people who come home from

work with a newspaper. They walk into the house, throw the paper on the table, turn on the

television and move to the kitchen to fix a snack. While in the kitchen they can still hear the

television but they do not interact directly with it. Newspapers cannot interact with their

audience the same way television can. Print media requires a much higher degree of interaction

with its audience. This higher degree of interaction is why people retain and recall more

information from print media.

Another area in which broadcast and print media differ is in permanence. It is a simple matter

to read last week’s news. Libraries keep newspapers dating back decades, perhaps centuries. If

the actual paper itself is not available then a facsimile of some type, most likely microfiche, will

be. Compare this to broadcast media where it is difficult to watch last week’s television news

and next to impossible to listen to radio newscasts from decades past. New technology is slowly

changing this, but it will be some time before data compression and storage technologies reach

a level where libraries will be able to archive broadcast media. When technologies do reach this

level, will libraries have the desire to compress and store all this information? If so, will anyone

want or require it? Print has posterity, while broadcast is fleeting.

Finally, broadcast and print journalism vary in how they influence their respective audiences. In

broadcast media tone of voice, physical build, gender, and dress all influence the audience’s

perceptions of authenticity and accuracy. People who watch broadcast news form perceptions

immediately based on what they see or hear. In contrast, newspaper readers are often
oblivious to the physical characteristics of the reporter. Usually all the reader knows of the

reporter comes from the by-line and suggests the reporter’s sex. Newspaper reporters must

rely solely on their writing skills to affect reader.