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Reviewed by Gabriele Hooffacker
This practical textbook by Nea Matzen has more than tripled in length since it was first published in 2010, then entitled simply Onlinejournalismus. Now extending to 420 pages, the fourth edition is an extensive teaching and reference work for practical online journalism. Although the work remains true to its original structure, the new volume is more than just an update.
A new chapter at the start, »Digital publishing on all channels,« not only looks at the switch to cross-media ways of working in editorial offices – it also provides an overview of the activities of an online editorial office and the ways that generative language AI can be used in practice. Warning words on algorithms and dependencies have also been added – a must in the age of Meta, Alphabet, und Elon Musk.
»Texts for the internet« has become »Texts and prompts for the internet.« The section on prompts itself is brief and helpful, although some tips on prompting for ChatGPT, for example, would have been a welcome addition. Eye tracking is presented in detail, and readers will enjoy the many color illustrations throughout the book. However, there is too little on usability; when the topic does arise, it is in the context of user experience and search engine optimization (SEO). It is a little surprising that, although »mobile first« also receives appropriate attention under the SEO aspect, the development towards research via voice input and output and its effect on SEO is not mentioned.
Chapter 3 looks at social media, while Chapter 4 is dedicated to forms of presentation online. This chapter, too, is more comprehensive than in the first edition, although not to the same degree. Participative formats, the core competency of online journalism, are covered mainly in the chapter on social media and briefly again later on page 308 in relation to cross-media. Compared to this, the section on »involving readers,« starting on page 352, is relatively short: The only formats it mentions are chats, surveys, and quizzes.
A few little complaints: The wonderful Floskelwolke project is recommended on page 118, despite having ended in August 2023. The annual editions of the ARD online study are quoted multiple times. The study was merged with the ARD-ZDF-Medienstudie in 2024, although this was not announced until September 2024 – evidently after the book was printed.
In the references, the journalist and author Björn Staschen is listed as »J. Staschen.« Mistakes happen. But it is a shame that Stefan Primbs’ outstanding work Social Media für Journalisten is not used or quoted, given its good description of how to turn users into allies, rather than seeing social media channels merely as additional outlets addressing specific target groups. In fact, unlike in the first edition, the reference section does not list any comparable works on practical online journalism. Instead, it includes some academic literature and numerous current online sources.
A positive aspect regarding social media: Nea Matzen does not tire of stating the risks and limits of the third-party platforms and their algorithms. She even presents the Fediverse as an alternative in the chapter providing an introductory overview (cf. 75). Gems like the news factors and notes on approach and attitude (both in the social media chapter) are sprinkled throughout the clear, well-structured chapters. The information that videos on social media platforms do not work the same as conventional television journalism is also important.
The author’s enormous experience – from her origins in the online editorial office at tagesschau.de to providing workshops and training – is clearly on display throughout the book. It is almost a shame that, with such a wide range of useful information and descriptions of the problems of online and social media, the »how to« focus that made the first edition in 2010 so handy and practical has faded into the background a little.
All in all, this is a comprehensive book that is enjoyable to read at leisure. The numerous text boxes with practical tips, the overviews of tools, and additional information are all clearly highlighted. This fourth edition is certainly a good investment for online editorial offices, even those who already have the first edition on the shelf.
References
Haarkötter, Hektor (2019): Journalismus.online. Das Handbuch zum Onlinejournalismus. Cologne: Herbert von Halem.
Heijnk, Stefan (2021): Texten fürs Web. Planen, schreiben, multimedial erzählen (3rd ed.). Hannover: dpunkt Verlag
Hooffacker, Gabriele (2020): Online-Journalismus. Texten und Konzipieren für das Internet. Ein Handbuch für Ausbildung und Praxis (5th ed.). Wiesbaden: Springer VS.
Matzen, Nea (2010): Online-Journalismus. Konstanz: UVK.
Primbs, Stefan (2015): Social Media für Journalisten. Wiesbaden: Springer VS.
About the reviewer
Gabriele Hooffacker, Prof. Dr. phil., (*1959), is co-editor of Journalism Research and teaches at Leipzig University of Applied Sciences (HTWK Leipzig) in the field of »media-appropriate content preparation.« Hooffacker edits the textbook series Journalistische Praxis, founded by Walther von La Roche (1936-2010) and published by Springer VS, and the series Leipziger Beiträge zur Computerspielekultur [Leipzig’s contributions to computer game culture]. She is the author of the textbook Online-Journalismus from Springer VS (5th edition 2020). Contact: g.hooffacker@link-m.de
Translation: Sophie Costella
This review first appeared in rezensionen:kommunikation:medien, 17 January 2025, accessible at: https://www.rkm-journal.de/archives/25307
About this book
Nea Matzen (2024): Online-Journalismus für die Praxis. Fachwissen für Netzpublikationen. [Online journalism for practice. Expertise for net publications.] 4th fully revised edition. Cologne: Herbert von Halem, 420 pages, EUR 39