The roles of communication technology in obtaining news: Staying close to distant sources

This study proposes a framework for a theory of epistemological technologies in news sourcing, based on research on communication channels (technology-mediated and non-mediated) used to acquire information for stories published or aired by nine Israeli news organizations, employing face-to-face reconstruction interviews with reporters. Findings reveal only marginal differences among media in use of various channels. Technology enables distant coverage while keeping close contact with human sources. Nearly all news information is technology-mediated, transmitted primarily via oral channels. Although reporters use the Internet extensively, their reliance on the World Wide Web as a news source is negligible, even among online reporters.