Tablets reshaping the news

The rise of mobile technology has had an impact on several areas of the publishing industry, with one of the most significant being the news media.

As a report from the Calgary Herald points out, smartphones and tablet computers are changing the way the news industry operates. Not only are people using the devices to gather and consume news, tablets and smartphones are shaping the way the news itself is reported.

Mobile journalism, or MoJo, as the Herald calls it, focuses on new styles and trends never imagined with traditional media or even when news sites were accessed only on desktop and laptop computers. For example, MoJo is tied closely to social media and incorporates more real-time reporting. This means that the storytelling is more immediate and often more reflective of the reporter's personal style than traditional journalism.

MoJo also requires providers to adjust the way they present the news. No longer is one publishing format enough, as news must be tailored to a range of devices, including desktops, laptops, tablets and smartphones, in addition to traditional hard copy.

According to a Pew Research study, 53 percent of tablet owners are daily news consumers, and 30 percent say they spend more time getting the news now that they have mobile devices. As these trends grow, the news industry will have to adjust to this mobile breed of journalism.