The New Media Journalist and XHTML

I have just completed my first practical assignment for new media, whereby I had to utilise basic xhtml. It was a little complicated at first, but having read the online resources that were supplied, the process became easier and - dare I say it - fun.

As a new media journalism student, my course is comprised of two components: the theoretical and the practical. It is essential when studying the theoretical aspects of digital journalism that we think about the practical elements and vice versa. As a result, my practical assignment needs to be interrogated in theoretical terms and so I discuss the question:

Why do you think a new media journalist should understand and use xhtml?

With the rise of digital communication, online journalists find themselves straddling the line between the traditional world of print and broadcast journalism, and the “new” digital world of the Internet. As a result, new media journalists do not only have a responsibility to uphold traditional journalistic practices, but should also endeavour to exploit the potential of their online medium. To be an effective new media journalist, it is therefore essential to learn simple computer language skills such as xhtml, otherwise known as eXtensible hypertext markup language. De Wolk (2001) argues that by mastering a computer language, new media journalists will be able to produce online journalism that fully exploits the potentiality of their web pages. xhtml enables new media journalists to gain a basic understanding of web page design, which will aid them in publishing articles of a high standard. With a stricter syntax than its predecessor html, xhtml allows for more consistent, well-structured web pages that are easy to maintain, edit, convert and format (Peck 2002). Unlike html that supplied users with a fixed set of elements to use, xhtml utilises xml, known as eXtensible hypertext markup language that makes new ways of inserting content and programming possible. As a result, a new media journalist who is able to master xhtml can create a web page that is innovative and then draw on elements from other xml languages, including those developed by the World Wide Web Consortium for multimedia (Richmond 2000). Peck (2002) holds firm that in order to learn xhtml, one must not be afraid to get one’s hands dirty. Becoming reliant on editors such as Oxygen or Mimulus is problematic in that if your Web page does not work, you will not have sufficient knowledge to correct the issue. Similarly, De Wolk (2001) recommends that journalists utilise raw markup languages, like xhtml, when starting to learn, as it will enable new media journalists to experiment and try new and daring things as opposed to adhering to editor templates. xhtml is also said to be a portable markup language that is able to extend to other devices such as cellphones (Richmond 2002). With the future of web access pointing firmly in the direction of these devices, by learning xhtml new media journalists are ensuring their place in the future of digital journalism.

Resources
Peck, N. 2002. XHTML Web Design for Beginners: An Introduction. Retrieved February 23, 2007 from World Wide Web: http://www.miswebdesign.com/resources/articles/web-design-xhtml-1-2.html

Richmond, A. 2000. Introduction to XHTML: Why do we need XHTML? Retrieved February 25, 2007 from World Wide Web: http://www.wdvl.com/Authoring/Languages/XML/XHTML/why.html

Xhtml Tutorial: http://www.webheadstart.org/xhtml/